Aquilegia vulgaris (Columbine)

Native to Europe, Aquilegia Vulgaris, known as Columbine has escaped gardens and naturalized in parts of North America. Bushy and clump-forming, this attractive perennial has delicate blossoms in shades of blue, violet, pink, or white with spreading sepals and short-hooked spurs. They rise with natural grace in a mound of thin, leafy stems in late spring to early summer. Leaves are gray-green, rounded, and divided into lobed leaflets. A wide array of cultivars is available in commerce, featuring flowers that are single or double, short-spurred or spurless, in a variety of colors ranging from blue to violet to white to pink to red. They all are elegant additions to the shade garden!

• Grows in a bushy, upright clump up to 18-36 in. high (45-90 cm) and spreads 16-20 in. (40-50 cm). This perennial is generally short-lived but will self-seed prolifically to form large colonies in satisfactory growing conditions.
• Performs best in full sun to part shade, in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Seriously dislikes poorly drained soils! Rich, moist soils in part shade are preferred. Do not let the soil dry out.
• Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but is ignored by rabbits and deer!
• Easy to grow, this plant is a welcomed addition to beds, borders, rock gardens, cottage gardens, shade gardens, or naturalized areas. Excellent cut flowers!
• Susceptible to leaf miner.
• May be grown from seed sown directly in the garden in spring (after the danger of frost has passed). Division is possible in spring, but it may take some time for the plant to recover.
• Remove faded flowering stems to promote additional bloom. Cut to the ground when the foliage declines (around mid-summer).
• Contact with sap may irritate the skin

Aquilegia is a genus of clump-forming, short-lived perennials noted for their late spring to mid-summer 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.