Canadian columbine

Canadian columbine: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose, upright clump 30–60 cm tall and about 30 cm wide, with thin, branched flower stems.

Leaves

Two or three times divided into threes, with rounded, lobed leaflets; fresh green to bluish green, mainly at the base of the plant.

Flowers

Nodding, 3–5 cm long, with red sepals and yellow petals that extend into five long, straight red spurs. From April to June.

Fruit

Upright little pods holding shiny black seeds, ripe in June–July.

Roots

A taproot: older plants do not transplant or divide well.

Lifespan

Short-lived, often three or four years, but it stays in the garden by self-seeding.

Flowering: April–June · Sowing: March–April and September · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: March and June–July

Why grow it?

• One of the first columbines to flower: from April to June, while the border is still fairly empty.
• The nodding red and yellow flowers are striking and very delicate in shape.
• Bumblebees and other bees visit the flowers for nectar and pollen.
• Tolerates more drought and poorer soil than many other columbines: ideal for a rock garden, between stones or at a woodland edge.
• Self-seeds gently, so after a few years you have a loose, natural group.

Canadian columbine: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; in light shade under trees it feels at home and the flowers last longer.
• Light, free-draining soil: sand or loam, acid to chalky. It does well in rocky, poor spots.
• Dry to moderately moist; it dislikes wet roots in winter.
• Space plants 25–30 cm apart, ideally in small groups of three to five.
• To keep the species pure, plant it well away from other columbines: they cross easily.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Ferns: Fine green foliage in the same light shade; the red flowers stand out against it.
• Lungwort: Flowers at the same time in spring, with blue and pink flowers and spotted leaves.
• Forget-me-not: A blue sea at the foot of the red and yellow flowers.
• Heuchera: Foliage in many colours that keeps the spot attractive after the columbine has flowered.
• Hardy geranium: Fills the space with leaves and flowers after flowering.

Canadian columbine: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot; on heavy soil, mix in some coarse sand or fine gravel.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot: the crown must not be buried.
4. Keep 25–30 cm between plants.
5. Water well straight away and keep the soil slightly moist for the first few weeks.
6. A thin mulch of leaf mould or fine gravel keeps the soil cool without keeping the crown wet.

Care

Water

Rarely needed once established. Only water at the base during long dry spells in spring.

Feeding

Not needed; on poor soil, at most a thin layer of compost in March. Too much fertiliser gives soft leaves and fewer flowers.

Deadheading

Remove spent flowers if you do not want seedlings, or let a few seed pods ripen for new plants.

Foliage

If the leaves look tatty after flowering, cut them back to just above the ground: fresh new leaves soon appear.

Seedlings

Move them while young and with a good root ball, because they soon develop a deep taproot.

Tip: After flowering, cut back the foliage if it looks tatty: within a few weeks you will have a fresh clump. To keep the species pure, only collect seed if no other columbines are flowering nearby.

Canadian columbine: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and June–July.

When: No real pruning is needed. After flowering, in June–July, remove spent stems and tatty leaves; in March, clear away dead leaves.

How:

• Cut spent flower stems back to the leaves at the base, unless you want to collect seed.
• Leave one or two stems until the pods turn brown and split open if you want seedlings.
• If the leaves are damaged by leaf miners or powdery mildew, cut them right back; they quickly regrow.
• In March, carefully remove old dead leaves without damaging the crown.

Caution: If you let seed ripen while other columbines flower nearby, the seedlings will often be hybrids with a different colour and shape.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in September outdoors or in a pot in a cold frame: the seed germinates in spring after the winter cold. Sowing in March–April also works, preferably with seed first kept moist in the fridge for 3–4 weeks. Barely cover the seed.

Moving seedlings

Lift young seedlings with a root ball in March–April or in September and plant them in their new spot.

Division

Rarely successful because of the taproot; sowing is the better method.

Canadian columbine: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −35 °C: in Belgium it never needs protection.
• Wet winters are a greater risk than frost: make sure the soil drains well.
• In a pot: use a free-draining mix with some grit and move the pot under cover in winter, out of the rain.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf miner: Wavy white tunnels in the leaves. Harmless to the plant: cut off affected leaves and put them in the household waste.
• Sawfly larvae: Green larvae that strip the leaves down to the veins in May–June. Pick them off by hand; the plant usually regrows.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, especially after flowering in dry weather. Cut back the foliage; the new leaves are usually healthy.
• Aphids: On stems and buds in spring. Spray off with water or leave them to ladybirds.
• Rot: The plant collapses and the crown rots in wet, heavy soil. Plant on a raised spot or in sandier soil.

Through the year

• March: Clear dead leaves. Plant and sow.
• April: Flowering begins. Plant or sow. Watch for aphids.
• May: Full flower. Watch for sawfly larvae.
• June: Flowering ends. Cut spent stems or let seed ripen.
• July: Collect seed. Cut back tatty foliage.
• September: Sow fresh seed. Plant or move seedlings.
• October: Plant. Give seedlings a permanent spot.
• November: Rest. Leave seed pots outdoors for the winter cold.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of columbine are poisonous, especially the seeds and roots: eating any can cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, and in larger amounts palpitations too. The flowers sometimes appear on lists of edible flowers: even so, do not use them in salads or on cakes, as the plant is poisonous. After flowering the seeds ripen in dry pods that split open easily: cut them off where young children play, or let them ripen where they cannot reach. Keep cats, dogs and grazing animals away from the plant, and wash your hands after handling it. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• In North America it is pollinated mainly by hummingbirds: the red colour and the long, nectar-filled spurs suit their long bills.
• The English name columbine comes from the Latin columba, dove: the flower is said to look like a ring of doves.
• Columbines cross so easily that seedlings from a garden with several species rarely look like their parents.