Aquilegia Mixed Columbine
Best low-maintenance perennial for gardeners wanting to attract local pollinators.
Bring enchanting color to your garden with Aquilegia Mixed Columbine. This collection features a delightful mix of bicolored varieties, offering unique, bonnet-shaped blooms in spring. These herbaceous perennials form attractive mounds of fern-like foliage and are known for their easy care. They naturalize beautifully in borders and woodland settings, attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. For optimal growth, provide partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Deadheading spent blooms encourages continuous flowering, ensuring a vibrant display throughout the season.
$15.95
Owner Satisfaction
4.6
/ 5
Category Rank
1072
/ 2693
#1072 in Plants
Price vs Category Average
-64%
Below average
Item Form
Bareroot
/ Bareroot
Who it's for
- Gardeners seeking vibrant, multi-colored floral displays
- Busy homeowners wanting low-maintenance, deer-resistant perennials
- Conservationists looking to support local hummingbirds and bees
Who should skip it
- Gardeners preferring long-lived, permanent landscape fixtures
- Minimalists wanting to avoid constant garden maintenance and weeding
- Perfectionists bothered by aesthetic foliage damage
Performance breakdown
Pollinator Attraction
A magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds throughout the spring season.
Maintenance Ease
Simple care requirements make this an ideal choice for beginner gardeners.
Deer Resistance
Foliage remains largely untouched by local wildlife, protecting your garden investment.
Naturalization Potential
Spreads and establishes itself effortlessly in woodland or border settings.
Bloom Visual Impact
Unique bonnet-shaped bicolored blooms provide a striking, whimsical aesthetic.
Hardiness Range
Robust performance across USDA zones three through eight ensures wide adaptability.
Key Specs
Item Form
Bareroot
Mature Height
3 Feet
Mature Width
18 Inches
Bloom Time
Mid Spring to Late Spring
Foliage Color
Medium Green
Habit
Mound-shaped
USDA Hardiness Zones
3-8
Planting Depth
1.5 to 2 inches
Features
- Unique bicolored blooms
- Attracts pollinators
- Deer resistant foliage
- Easy to care for
- Naturalizes freely
- Fern-like foliage
- Encourages re-blooming with deadheading
- Low maintenance
What customers say
Customers consistently praise the exceptional quality of the Aquilegia plants upon arrival, noting their robust health and careful packaging. The primary theme is reliability; these columbines establish quickly and reliably produce a stunning mix of vibrant colors, often exceeding expectations for bloom size and variety. Gardeners appreciate the ease with which these plants thrive, making them a dependable choice for adding dramatic vertical interest to shaded areas. This collection offers a high degree of planting success and visual payoff.
Know before you buy
Bareroot plants are shipped in a dormant state without soil around the roots. This allows them to establish themselves quickly in your garden soil once planted, often resulting in a stronger root system compared to container-grown plants.
While they are versatile, they perform best in partial shade. In cooler climates, they may tolerate more sun, but in hotter regions, afternoon shade is essential to prevent the foliage from scorching.
To extend the flowering season, simply deadhead the spent blooms by cutting the stems back to the base of the plant. This prevents the plant from putting energy into seed production and encourages a second flush of flowers.
Yes, the fern-like foliage of the Aquilegia is generally unappealing to deer. While no plant is 100% deer-proof if food sources are scarce, these are a reliable choice for gardens where deer pressure is a concern.
While they are best suited for borders and woodland settings, you can grow them in containers if the pot is deep enough to accommodate their root system and has excellent drainage. Ensure the soil stays consistently moist but never waterlogged.
For a naturalized, meadow-like appearance, plant them 12 inches apart. This spacing allows the mounds of foliage to grow together while still providing enough airflow to keep the plants healthy.
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Ask Hayley anything about this product before you decide.
Ready to buy?
$16