Aquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine, Quart pot

Aquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine, Quart pot

FS -Shade, Zone 3, blooms April to June, 2’ x 2’, deer resistant

Wild Columbine is one of the first plants in the early spring to provide much-needed nectar. By nature’s arrangement, their bloom time coincides with the northern arrival of the Ruby Throated Hummingbird.

It is also an “easy to grow” plant that tolerates most soil conditions and full shade. Their only pest is the Columbine Sawfly, an introduced pest. The sawfly’s typically come in May and can be easily controlled by picking them off. We’ve grown healthy Columbines for many years. Only once, sawflies ate the leaves of our european columbines right down to their tiny ribs, before we could pick them off. Fortunately, the plants recuperated and came back the next year stronger then ever. We have not had sawflies on our native columbine.

Besides being the host plant for the Columbine Duskywing Butterfly, this plant attracts hummingbird and a number of specialist bees.