Red Columbine
Botanical Name: Aquilegia canadensis
En français: Ancolie du Canada
Also Called: Canada Columbine; American Columbine; Wild Columbine
This beautiful woodland wildflower has showy, drooping, bell-like flowers turning from red into yellow. Its lovely floral display, ease of growing, and overall charm make Red Columbine a great plant for the home garden.
Height:
Blooms:
Width: 10-17”
Water: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Pollinators:
Native to Eastern Canada
Best Soil: Sand, loam, clay
Its natural habitat: Clearings, borders of dry woods.
For the pollinators
Red Columbine is one of the first plants to provide nectar in the spring for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, such as the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Short-tongued sweat bees collect pollen from the flowers, and bumblebees may also collect pollen for their larvae. The larvae of various insects feed on Red Columbine, including those of the Columbine Duskywing butterfly, the Columbine Borer moth, and leaf miner flies.
Caring for Red Columbine
Columbines typically do best in partial shade with rich, well-drained soil. However, this plant is also known to grow in full sun under drier conditions. Wide range of soil tolerance as long as drainage is good.
Freely self-seeds and will naturalize to form large colonies in optimum growing conditions. Remove flowering stems after bloom to encourage additional bloom. Keep soils uniformly moist after bloom to prolong attractive foliage appearance. When foliage depreciates, plants may be cut to the ground.
Companion plant suggestions include Spring blooming wildflowers
References:
https://www.prairiemoon.com https://www.onplants.ca https://www.illinoisflowers.info https://www.wildflower.org https://www.wildseedproject.net
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