If you have a shady spot in the garden, chances are it warrants a columbine (or many!). The native species and their cultivars, among others, brighten shaded zones with intricate blooms in bold and soft shades, including those prized, tranquil blues. The flowers are also a beacon for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Enjoy versatile columbines to add to your shade collection with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.Like birds in flight as they sway in the breeze, columbine flowers delight the shady border in spring and early summer. Their scientific name (from the Latin aquila for “eagle”) reflects the resemblance of their spurred petals to an eagle’s talon. The common name columbine derives from the Latin “dove.” Their pendant blooms with spurs, petals, and stamens suspend delicately from slender stems. Their easy, effortless grace and light floral forms bring detailed ornament with a rugged perennial foundation.
Columbines emerge after cold winters with fresh leaves and soon-to-follow flowers. The nodding blooms range from rich red and yellow to soft blues, purples, and pinks. Hummingbirds frequent the tubular spurs for nectar, and birds feed on the seeds in the fall. In addition to the flowers are attractive compound leaves, lobed and mounding.
With species native to North America and their many varieties, columbine flowers are fit for woodlands, rock gardens, cottage gardens, and native, pollinator, and wildflower plantings. They grow beautifully in the shaded border and in pots, adding high ornament and delicate appeal. While they tolerate varying exposures, the following columbine varieties brighten the shade garden with their own undeniable style.Columbine belongs to the ranunculus family (Ranunculaceae) with buttercups, clematis, hellebore, and larkspur. They grow well in climates with cold winters and mild summers, with about 60 to 70 Aquilegia species in the northern hemisphere. Flowers have five sepals (forming the calyx), interior petals, and showy spurs.
The short-lived perennials naturalize in their optimal growing conditions through underground stems and reseeding. Species columbine varieties grow easily from seed and reseed in optimal conditions (but aren’t weedy or aggressive). Direct sow in late winter or in the fall to overwinter and provide cold stratification. Columbine is a cold-climate specimen and benefits from a cold period of 30 days or more to germinate. Scatter seeds on the soil surface and cover lightly with soil.
With a natural habitat along woodland edges, clearings, and riverbanks, columbine grows best in moderately moist, well-drained soils. The hearty and adaptable perennials tolerate varying conditions, but regular moisture shows the most vigorous growth and flowering. They thrive in dappled shade, though many adapt to varying exposures. Protect them from intense afternoon sun to avoid burn. The benefit of light shade also extends flowering.
Columbine is semi-evergreen and retains its basal leaves unless temperatures are too cold or too hot, when plants enter dormancy until temperatures level off. Cut back worn or tired foliage in mid to late summer for a fresh flush, and leave it standing for its handsome greenery until heavy frost. As a bonus, foliage is deer and rabbit-resistant.