Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) is a perennial plant with green foliage and spiderlike spring and summer blooms in red, white, yellow, purple, blue and pink, depending on the variety. Growing in clumps or mounds, it can reach 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 1 1/2 feet wide. Columbine overwinters in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8.
Columbine grows easily from seeds and often spreads quickly by itself in the right environment through self-seeding. The self-seeded plants may produce differently colored blossoms than their parent plant due to cross-breeding. You also can propagate a columbine by dividing it in spring, although the resulting plants will grow more slowly than usual that growing season due to the root disturbance. If you are careful while handling and replanting columbine, it will recover, albeit slowly.
Columbine grows best in locations that receive full sun or light shade and produces fewer blooms in lightly shaded areas. It also grows best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil. The plant thrives only three to five years before weakening, according to PlantTalk Colorado. In fertile soil, however, columbine reseeds freely enough to replace the weakened plants produced.
Columbine requires little care to keep it thriving. Keep the plant moist through spring and summer, especially during dry summer months. As its blooms fade, pinch them off to encourage further blooming and to prevent the plant from reseeding if you wish. If the foliage becomes unsightly, cut it to the ground to rejuvenate it. This plant requires no other pruning or fertilization measures.
Leaf miners, aphids, caterpillars and stem borers can become a problem for columbine. In most cases, pruning its foliage to the ground helps to rid the plant of these pests. Powdery mildew and leaf spot also can affect columbine, especially during prolonged periods of wet weather. Ensuring the plant receives afternoon sunlight and has plenty of space for good air circulation helps it resist those diseases. If your columbine is already infected, cut its foliage to the ground.
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