Aquilegia canadensis, 1 pint pot

The blossoms of Aquilegia canadensis, a native wildflower, are an exquisite combination of scarlet sepals and lemon yellow petals. Eastern Red Columbine produces many nodding flowers and captured the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. (The flowers’ red color may lighten to pink in areas with warm nighttime temperatures.)

Aquilegia is native to regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. The genus comprises about 70 species of perennials, most commonly known as Columbine, which thrive in USDA hardiness Zones 3 through 8. Noted for their distinctive, bell-shaped flowers with elongated, backward-extending spurs, Aquilegias bloom in late spring to early summer, offering hues ranging from blue and violet to red, yellow, and white. These charming flowers attract a variety of pollinators, particularly hummingbirds and bees. Columbines prefer partially shaded locations but can tolerate full sun in cooler climates, and they flourish in well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Plants self-seed readily in the garden, which can lead to delightful, naturalized drifts of color. The attractive foliage and unique blossoms make Aquilegia a favorite in woodland garden settings and cottage gardens.

For more information on growing and care, click Growing Guide.

We want our customers to receive strong, healthy plants that are ready to thrive in their gardens and homes. Here's what we'd like you to know about our shipping practices.

Delivery Timing

We aim to deliver your plants at as close to the proper time for planting in your area as possible. To do so, we consider the USDA Hardiness Zone to which we're shipping, current and forecasted weather at the destination and along the shipping route, and whether your plants are ready for transplant.

In spring, we ship first to the warmest regions and move north as planting conditions improve. For fall deliveries, we begin with the coolest regions and work south. We frequently adjust shipping schedules when extreme weather could put plants at risk while in transit or soon after arrival.

Because different plants reach readiness at different rates and are weather-sensitive in varying degree, a single order may be delivered via multiple shipments. Plants sold as part of a collection, or that are otherwise meant to arrive together, will be shipped together. Please contact our customer service team with two weeks' advance notice if you anticipate being away at the expected time of delivery. 

Tracking information for each package is delivered via email. 

Plant & Container Sizes

We deliver plants in various sizes and stages of growth, and the product detail pages of our website indicate the form and/or pot size in which the plant will be delivered. Pot sizes range from 1 pint to 1 gallon and larger. Many perennials, roses, shrubs and vines are delivered bareroot - that is, not in a container at all. Bulbs and tubers are generally delivered bareroot and fully dormant. We choose container sizes and delivery methods based on how each plant grows best, how we can minimize transplant shock, and how to minimize unnecessary bulk/weight in shipment. 

Caring for Your Plants Upon Arrival

It is important to acclimate greenhouse-grown plants to life outdoors. All plant shipments include simple instructions for handling your plants upon arrival. Further how-to information, including planting instructions, is available on each plant's product page.

Latin Name Pronunciation: ak-wee-lee'jee-uh

Columbines are very floriferous, compact perennials whose graceful flowers are beloved of hummingbirds. Hardy in zones 3 to 9, Columbines bloom in early to mid-spring in solid colors and bicolors, including pink, red, blue, purple, yellow, and white. Foliage ranges from bright green to blue green and is quite attractive in the border when the plants are not in bloom. Columbines are particularly long lasting as cut flowers, and are admired for their delicacy and lovely range of soft colors. Although somewhat short-lived, these plants often self-sow.

Light/Watering: Drought-tolerant once established, these plants are at their best in evenly moist soil in partial shade, although they do well in full sun with sufficient water.

Fertilizer/Soil and pH: Columbines can thrive in average, well-drained soil that is slightly acid to neutral and will benefit from a light application of fertilizer in early spring.

Pests/Diseases: Columbine leaf miners leave tell-tale white serpentine trails on the foliage. Handpick affected leaves at the first sign of damage and dispose of away from the garden area. These pests overwinter in the soil, so cultivating around the plants in early spring while they are dormant may help with control. Another common pest is the Columbine sawfly, capable of completely defoliating plants quite quickly. Look for these small green, caterpillar-like larvae as soon as the leaves fully emerge and handpick or treat with soap spray. Unsightly foliage may be cut back entirely after the plant blooms, resulting in fresh, new leaves.

Companions: Columbines are lovely with other denizens of light shade such as Ferns, Tiarella, Campanula, Alchemilla, Phlox divaricata, and Pulmonaria, and truly enliven woodland gardens. The dwarf varieties are ideal for trough and rock gardens while the larger, more exuberant cultivars are a great addition to the herbaceous border.

Reflowering: If the gardener is devout with deadheading, new buds will develop along the stems and the bloom season can extend to as long as six weeks. Some varieties may be short-lived, but most self-sow with abandon if some flowers are left on the plant to maturity.

Dividing/Transplanting: Columbines transplant easily when taken up with a generous amount of soil and then watered well. Old clumps of Aquilegia may be divided but the results are often disappointing; new plants can be grown from seed but will take a year or two to bloom and will not come true to type when seed is harvested from open-pollinated plants. Purchasing mature plants will guarantee earlier blooms of the variety or species desired.

End-of-Season Care: Foliage should be cut back in the fall and removed from the premises to discourage overwintering of pests. In some soils, plants may be heaved out of the ground during freeze-thaw cycles in winter; mulch with salt marsh hay or evergreen boughs in late fall to prevent this.

Calendar of Care - Aquilegia

Early Spring: Apply a light application of balanced or slow-release fertilizer or side-dress with compost and organic amendments when new growth appears. Supplement nitrogen during periods of prolonged rain to counter natural leaching. Water well if it is unseasonably dry, as plants prefer evenly moist soil.

Late Spring: Watch for leaf miner activity and handpick affected leaves. If infestation is severe, simply cut the foliage down to the ground after flowering; new growth is quick to reappear with regular watering. Remove foliage from garden (do not compost). Inspect the undersides of leaves for small green, caterpillar-like larvae of the Columbine sawfly. Handpick or spray with insecticidal soap. Watch for aphid infestations; spray with insecticidal soap. Mulch plants as soil warms to buffer soil moisture and temperature. Plants can be carefully divided but this is not required.

Summer: Pull out any unwanted new seedlings as hybrid cultivars may not come true from seed; move desirable species seedlings to permanent locations. Pinch off dead flowers to encourage longer bloom period and prevent self-sowing. Groom plants by removing yellow or dead leaves.

Fall: Cut foliage back to soil level. After the ground is frozen, mulch to protect plants from heaving out of the soil in winter.

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