Columbine is a beautiful perennial that comes in many different varieties and colours. The shape of the flower is always striking.
The columbine (Aquilegia) moves playfully and colorfully into the picture. In the Middle Ages, the distinctive garden plant was also important for healers and was used to treat gout and ulcers. Today, columbine is indispensable, especially in southern German gardens. The buttercup plant proves to be robust and frugal. From April, the plants, also known as common columbine, common columbine or forest columbine, show their pretty flower heads. Hobby gardeners can draw from a large variety of varieties.
Find the ideal location
The columbine knows how to surprise. The robust plants also grow in places where it previously seemed impossible to establish flowering plants. A sunny to semi-shady location is best for consistent growth and abundance of flowers.
The plants stay small in the shade. In full sun, however, the columbine needs to be watered more frequently. There is actually no location that the plants will not accept. The delicate flowers have even been discovered in the joints of dry stone walls.
» Note: You can also cultivate the columbine as a container plant. However, this is at the expense of the flowering period, which is then limited to spring and early summer.
Good planting neighbors for columbine are:
✅ Daffodils
✅ Tulips
✅ Ferns✅ Phlox
✅ Bleeding Heart
The plants thrive best in the shade of larger perennials.
Select the right substrate
In terms of potting soil, the columbine is tolerant. Any soil is tolerated as long as the soil does not appear completely soaked. The preferred substrate should be fresh, not too dry and slightly loamy. The columbine does not tolerate waterlogging.
The soil requirements differ between the different Columbine varieties. If you want to be on the safe side, you should ask when buying. A sandy or gravelly soil is ideal for rock garden plants. When planting in tubs, care should be taken to ensure a particularly permeable substrate.
» Tip: By mixing in sand, clayor lava granules, the earth becomes looser.
The original wild forms and their breeds are the most uncomplicated. Dry desert regions, rough coasts or alpine grasslands are among the natural distribution areas.
Planting and transplanting columbines
The large-scale planting of columbines is only common if the perennial is to be used as a cut flower. For an attractive picture in the garden bed, it is advantageous to arrange the columbines in tuffs of two to eight plants. Welcome plant neighbors are asters, silver candles, hydrangeas or various grasses.
Planting columbines - step by step
- Select Location
- Loosen soil
- Remove weeds, roots and stones
- Add garden compost to the substrate
- Dig the planting hole (twice the size of the root ball)
- Note planting distances
- Place Plants
- Fill substrate
- Press the earth lightly
- Water plants well
When planting in the bed, it should not be underestimated that the columbine will soon spread rapidly. If the planting distance is too small, the columbine can soon crowd the surrounding bedding plants and have to be transplanted.
» Tip: The columbine should not be transplanted until the flowering period has ended.
Water Columbine Properly
After planting, it is important to water the columbine regularly. The plant must not dry out, at the same time waterlogging must be avoided. This quickly leads to rotting of the roots and thus to the death of the perennial.
Fully grown plants are watered sporadically depending on the weather. During long periods of drought it is watered daily. The following applies: water moderately, do not let the plant dry out and do not allow waterlogging to occur.
» Tip: Lime-free rainwater is preferable to tap water for irrigation.
Fertilize Columbine Properly
If the columbine is planted in the bed, regular fertilization is not necessary. If some compost is worked into the soil when planting, an organic long-term fertilizer is provided and the plants do not need any further nutrients in the first year. In the following years, compost can be regularly mixed in in the spring.
WhoColumbines cultivated in planters should be given a commercial fertilizer for flowering plants every two weeks during the growth phase. Fertilization is stopped in late summer.
The most important planting and care tips at a glance
| Occupation | What matters? |
| Select Location |
|
| Prepare the ground |
|
| Plant columbines |
|
| Columbine watering |
|
| Fertilize Columbine |
|
Cut columbine
The columbine does not necessarily have to be cut. If you want to prevent the seeds from forming and the plant sowing itself, the faded flowers must be removed. The right time for this is midsummer.
The plants can be cut in autumn or early spring. After flowering, the plants appear less attractive as the foliage begins to dry up. The columbine can be cut back just above the ground.
Increase Columbine
Columbine can be propagated by sowing. Direct sowing outdoors can be done as soon as the ground no longer freezes. A pre-cultivation indoors is a good way to call strong and resilient plants your own in the first year:
If you prefer different colors, we recommend this seed mix:
- Fill the planting tray with potting soil
- Scatter seeds
- Cover seeds thinly with soil
- Moisten seeds
- Plastic cover promotes germination
- Place the planter bright but not in full sun
- Germination temperature 18 to 20 degrees
- Keep seeds constantly moist
- Substrate must not be soaked (danger of mold)
» Attention: The columbine is one of the cold germs. Seeds need one for germinationreceive cold stimulus. After sowing, place the seed pot on the wintry balcony or in the refrigerator for three to four weeks.
The first cotyledons appear after five to six weeks. When the first leaves appear, the plants can be pricked out. When planting out in the bed, keep a planting distance of 30 centimeters.
5 pretty varieties at a glance
There are about 70 different types of columbine. The common columbine and the North American columbine are increasingly to be found in our gardens. The common columbine, which is widespread in Europe, impresses with its blue-violet flowers. Its direct relative from North America can be recognized by its white-blue flowers.
Numerous different varieties can brighten up the picture in beds and tubs with their colorful flowers.
Double Columbine 'Ruby Port' (Aquilegia vulgaris 'Ruby Port')
| Double Columbine 'Ruby Port' (Aquilegia vulgaris 'Ruby Port') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | leaves, erect peduncles |
| Growth: | 40 - 60 cm |
| Growth: | 25 - 30 cm |
| Flower: | bell-shaped, burgundy |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | fresh, permeable, rich in humus |
Long-spurred Columbine 'Yellow Queen' (Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen')
| Long-spurred Columbine 'Yellow Queen' (Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | upright stems, clump-forming |
| Growth: | 60 - 70 cm |
| Growth: | 25 - 30 cm |
| Flower: | bell-shaped, deep yellow |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | permeable, fresh, rich in humus, slightly acidic to neutral |
Siberian columbine 'Biedermeier' (Aquilegia caerulea 'Biedermeier')
| Siberian columbine 'Biedermeier' (Aquilegia caerulea 'Biedermeier') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | inclined to upright, compact |
| Growth: | 20 - 30 cm |
| Growth: | 20 - 25 cm |
| Flower: | different colors, also two-tone |
| Location: | Penumbra |
| Floor: | fresh, well-drained, rich in humus, acidic to neutral |
Short-spurred Columbine 'Alba' (Aquilegia vulgaris 'Alba')
| Short-spurred Columbine 'Alba' (Aquilegia vulgaris 'Alba') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | inclining, erect stems, clump-forming |
| Growth: | 50 - 60 cm |
| Growth: | 25 - 30 cm |
| Flower: | bell-shaped, white |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | loamy sandy, rich in humus, fresh |
Long-spurred Columbine 'McKana' (Aquilegia caerulea 'McKana')
| Long-spurred Columbine 'McKana' (Aquilegia caerulea 'McKana') | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | inclining, erect stems, clumpy |
| Growth: | 60 - 80 cm |
| Growth: | 25 - 30 cm |
| Flower: | bell shaped, many colors available |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | fresh, well-drained, rich in humus, acidic to neutral |
Detect diseases and pests
The columbine shows a certain susceptibility to mealybugs. An infestation can be easily recognized by the cotton-like webs. The pests have suction tools and damage the leaves, shoots and stalks of the columbine. If the infestation is detected early, the pests can be eliminated by vigorously showering the plant several times.
In early spring, columbine buds are the declared target of the columbine gall midge. The buds infested with the orange mini-larvae should be removed and disposed of with the household waste - never on the compost heap.
Columbine overwintering
The columbine is hardy. Outdoor plants should still be protected with a layer of leaves or brushwood. This prevents the increased penetration of moisture into the soil.
Potted plants are endangered because the planter freezes through quickly and the roots can no longer absorb any nutrients. If the plant pot is placed on a base made of wood or styrofoam and provided with garden fleece, the columbine as a pot plant will survive the winter unscathed.
Is columbine poisonous?
The plants are considered slightly poisonous because they contain hydrocyanic acid glycosides. It is recommended to always wear gardening gloves when handling the plant.