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Aquilegia viridiflora ‘Chocolate Soldier’ (Green Columbine)

Green-Flowered Columbine 'Chocolate Soldier', Green Columbine 'Chocolate Soldier'

Aquilegia viridiflora 'Chocolate Soldier', Green-Flowered Columbine 'Chocolate Soldier', Green Columbine 'Chocolate Soldier', Wild Columbine, Chocolate Aquilegia, Bicolor Aquilegia

Aquilegia viridiflora ‘Chocolate Soldier’ (Green Columbine) is a compact perennial boasting small, nodding, sweetly fragrant, chocolate flowers with short straight spurs and a bouquet of bright chartreuse stamens. The flowers rise in delicate clusters above the lovely foliage mound of lobed, divided, blue-green leaves. The foliage remains handsome throughout summer, provided the soil is kept moist. Blooming in late spring to early summer, this perennial is generally short-lived but may self-seed in the landscape in satisfactory growing conditions.

  • Grows in a bushy, upright clump, up to 12 in. tall and wide (30 cm).
  • Performs best in full sun to part shade, in fertile, moist, but well-drained soils. Intolerant to dry soils. Prefers deep, rich, moist soils with light to moderate shade.
  • Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, but is ignored by rabbits and deer!
  • Easy to grow, this plant is a welcomed addition to beds and borders, city gardens, cottage gardens, underplanting shrubs, and roses or naturalized areas.
  • Subject to fungal diseases, borers, leaf miners, and aphids.
  • Remove flowering stems after bloom to promote new blooms.
  • Cut back foliage affected by fungal diseases.
  • Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame as soon as the seed is ripe or in spring. It can also be propagated by division in spring, but the plant will be slow to recover.
  • Native to China, Japan, and Russia.

Aquilegia is a genus of clump-forming, short-lived perennials noted for their late spring to midsummer blooms of single or double, short-spurred or spurless flowers, in a variety of colors ranging from blue to violet to white to pink to red. A classic element of herbaceous borders, Columbines mix beautifully with peonies, irises, alliums, and roses.

Columbine: How to Grow and Care with Success


Want to learn how to grow and care for columbine like a pro? Follow these simple steps and enjoy the beauty of these striking plants

Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 8
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Ranunculaceae
Genus Aquilegia
Common names Columbine
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Height 10" - 1'
(25cm - 30cm)
Spread 8" - 10"
(20cm - 25cm)
Spacing 10" - 12"
(25cm - 30cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Tolerance Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Underplanting Roses And Shrubs
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, City and Courtyard
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Aquilegia (Columbine)
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Alternative Plants to Consider

Aquilegia Songbird ‘Nightingale’ (Columbine)
Aquilegia coerulea Kirigami Rose & Pink (Columbine)
Aquilegia coerulea Kirigami Yellow (Columbine)
Aquilegia coerulea Kirigami Light Blue & White (Columbine)
Aquilegia Songbird ‘Goldfinch’ (Columbine)
Aquilegia Songbird ‘Robin’ (Columbine)

Recommended Companion Plants

Thalictrum aquilegiifolium (Meadow Rue)
Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove)
Iris germanica (Bearded Iris)
Papaver orientale (Oriental Poppy)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

Stunning Blue Flowers to Enhance Your Garden’s Beauty
30 Great Perennials for Shade
30 Best Spring Flowers to Spruce up Your Garden
20 Spring Wildflowers to Create a Dazzling Garden
Hummingbird
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Great Bulbs and Perennials as Companion Plants for Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Columbine: How to Grow and Care with Success
Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
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Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 8
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Ranunculaceae
Genus Aquilegia
Common names Columbine
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Height 10" - 1'
(25cm - 30cm)
Spread 8" - 10"
(20cm - 25cm)
Spacing 10" - 12"
(25cm - 30cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Tolerance Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Underplanting Roses And Shrubs
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, City and Courtyard
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Not sure which Aquilegia (Columbine) to pick?
Compare Now

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