Columbines are a great choice if you’re looking for the perfect plant to add playful color to your shade garden. Every year, we watch our columbines spread and expand, filling in more and more of the shady area next to our house. The blooming season is relatively short—just about a month in the spring—but it’s worth waiting. These beautiful flowers are one of my favorite plants in the garden: they’re low maintenance, attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and self-seed like crazy. This article will cover everything you need to know about growing columbines.
About
The columbine plant (Aquilegia) is an easy-to-grow perennial bloom in spring and early summer. Their bell-shaped flowers come in a wide range of colors, including blue, purple, red, white, yellow, and orange. Some columbine plants bear flowers in two colors. The petals are usually notched or spurred at the end. Columbines are low-maintenance plants grown in containers or planted in the ground. They thrive in both sun and shade so that you can enjoy their beauty in even the darkest corners of your garden.
Light
Columbine plants need full sun to partial shade to thrive. In the northern parts of the country, the Columbine plant will do best in a location that gets four hours of direct sunlight per day. In southern areas, the Columbine plant will take more sun and may also grow in a place with afternoon shade. Conversely, Columbine plants can tolerate part shade, where they get four or more hours of indirect light daily. They’ll still bloom profusely, but the flowers may not be as large as those exposed to direct sunlight. The edges of wooded areas or along the north side of buildings provide great growing locations for columbines if you have them in your garden.
Soil
The soil for the columbine plant must be well-drained, with a pH between 5.5–7.5 and a good amount of organic material mixed in. This type of soil is usually found along the edge of woods or near streams and meadows. If you have heavy clay or sandy soil, amend it with compost before planting columbine. Mulch around your plants to keep weeds down and help retain moisture in the ground.
Pot
You can grow columbine in a container, but you’ll need to make sure it’s big enough to allow the plant to grow. The plant will spread out and put out a lot of new growth from the roots each year, so you’ll need a container at least 12 inches in diameter. As the plant grows, you may need to replace your pot with an even larger one. The larger the container, the better—columbine is a hardy plant, but it will require more water if it’s growing in a small space.
Columbines have deep taproots and need plenty of room to grow their roots.
Watering
Watering is an essential part of Columbine plant care. Water in the morning gives plants a chance to dry out by evening. Moisten your Columbine’s soil to a 6-8 inches depth and allow it to dry before watering again.
Generally, this will be about once per week when growing Columbine in pots, but more watering may be necessary if you live in high temperatures in a hot and arid climate. In cooler climates or rainier seasons, water is less frequent.
Fertilizer
While fertilizer is not necessary, applying it to your columbine plants in the spring can help encourage new growth and produce more blossoms.
If you choose to grow them in containers and want maximum blooms, then fertilize every other week with an all-purpose fertilizer diluted to half strength. Fertilize every four to six weeks until mid-July. You can use a general-purpose fertilizer or one specially formulated for blooming plants. As with most garden tasks, it’s best not to overdo it. If you apply too much fertilizer, you could burn the plant. Water thoroughly after fertilizing because the fertilizer will leach out nutrients from the soil if left alone for too long without water.
Time to plant Columbine plants
Now that the weather has warmed up, it’s time to plant Columbine plants! The best way to determine when to plant Columbine is to check the soil temperature by inserting a thermometer about 2 inches deep into the ground. If the temperature is not below 50°F, you can proceed with planting.
The Columbine flower is usually planted in spring or early summer, but you can enjoy this delicate flower all summer long. You can also use it as a winter flower in colder climates. If you sow the seeds of this flower in the fall, you will get them to bloom right away and have flowers all winter long. They are perfect for growing in flower beds, rock gardens, and containers on patios or terraces!
How to care for the Columbine plant
Columbine plants, also called aquilegia, are lovely flowers with a delicate appearance. However, they are pretty hardy and need very little care to thrive. Here’s how you can best care for your columbine plants:
- Water regularly. Columbines like a lot of water, so they are sure to keep the soil consistently moist.
- Give them room to breathe. Columbines hate having their roots disturbed, so it’s best to plant them in a spot where they can stay for many years. They also hate being transplanted: if you have to move them, wait until late fall or early winter—this is when the columbine will be going dormant anyway, so it won’t suffer as much from being uprooted.
- Use “deadheading” to your advantage. “deadheading” means removing the dead flowers from a plant before they go to seed. This forces your columbine plants into producing more blooms instead of going straight into creating seeds. Deadheading will keep its growth contained if you don’t want the plant to spread all over your garden.
Columbine plants are beautiful flowers.
The delicate, graceful columbine plant is a welcome addition to any garden.
Columbine flowers are unique, with petals that droop like lanterns and longspurs at their backs. Most varieties have two-toned blooms of red and yellow or blue and white. When planted en masse, the columbine flower can create a stunning look in your garden. Columbine plants grow best in woodland settings or rock gardens, and they make excellent cut flowers.
To conclude, columbine is a beautiful plant to keep in your garden. It’s not difficult to grow, provided that you provide it with the right environment and care. If you put these tips into practice, let us know how your columbine plants grow!