Wild Columbine Seeds / Aquilegia canadensis
Our native Columbine here in the eastern United States has elegant arching branches and beautiful flowers that provide nectar for hummingbirds, as well as bees and butterflies. It's one of the most flexible plants in terms of sunlight needs, fitting well in shaded areas of the garden but also at home in full sun. And not only can it thrive in shade, it works in dry soil conditions as well. While it has showy flowers, it is not a large plant in either height or width. We have found that it can be planted in most areas of the garden because it comes into its own before many other wildflower species have achieved much height (you can see this in the second photo with a Wild Columbine plant among Purple Coneflower and Common Milkweed plants).
It has a lengthy bloom period, especially for a plant that often begins blooming in April. Many spring blooming wildflowers are much more ephemeral in nature than this one. It also serves as the larval host plant for the Columbine Duskywing butterfly.
From its beauty to its adaptability and easy-going nature, this is an absolutely superb plant for your garden. It's certainly on our shortlist of plants to add more of in our own garden!
Approximate Seeds Per Packet: 100
Germination: Cold(60)
Lifecycle: Perennial
Sunlight: Full, Part, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium, Dry
Height: 2
Bloom Period: April-June
Bloom Color: Red
USDA Zones: 3-8
Attracts: Bees, Birds
Larval Host For: Columbine Duskywing Butterfly
Seed Planting/Germination Key
Storage: Store in a cool, dry, dark place prior to planting.
Rule of thumb for depth of planting: The maximum depth should generally be half the width of the seed, but many wildflower seeds will germinate well if sown on the surface.
Easy: Generally germinates within 5 to 30 days with no need for cold pretreatment. Keep potting mix or soil consistently moist during the germination period.
Cold(30): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 30 days or outside in late winter.
Cold(60): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 60 days or outside in mid-winter.
Cold(90); Outdoors: Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 90 days or outside in late fall or early winter. The best route is to plant these outdoors in either a pot or directly on the soil.