Aquilegia canadensis
Eastern Columbine
Please register or login to build your personal plant list.Eastern Columbine is a shade-loving, wildlife-friendly perennial with attractive foliage and uniquely shaped flowers. The drooping, bell-like, red...
Description:
Eastern Columbine is a shade-loving, wildlife-friendly perennial with attractive foliage and uniquely shaped flowers. The drooping, bell-like, red and yellow bi-colored flowers with backward-pointing tubes, bloom April-May. This plant is a hummingbird magnet. It provides nectar not only for hummingbirds, but also bees, butterflies, and hawk moths. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae, including the Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius). Its seeds are consumed by birds, including finches and buntings. Eastern Columbine self-seeds and will form colonies. The foliage remains attractive throughout the summer in moist soil conditions. Eastern Columbine is a wonderful addition to native plant gardens or wildlife habitat areas. Use it in beds, borders, woodland gardens, wildlife gardens, or naturalized areas. It can also be grown as a container plant.
Plant Details:
Plant Type: Flower, Perennial
New Jersey Native: Yes
Bloom Times: Spring, Late Spring to Early Summer
Bloom Colors: Red, Yellow
Deer Resistance: High
Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: Bees and Other Pollinators, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Birds
Salt Tolerance: Low to None
Hardiness Zone: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Physiographic Region: All Regions in NJ
Grows in Special Ecoregions: Barrier Island/Coastal
Soil Characteristics
Soil Type: Loam, Organic, Sandy
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Soil pH: Slightly Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Alkaline
Light Needs of Plant
Optimal Light: Partial Shade
Light Range: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Water Needs of Plant
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Drought Tolerance: High
Size and Growth Rate
Height: 1 - 3 ft
Spread: 1 - 1.5 ft
Growth Rate: Medium-fast