Columbine meadow rue
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium · Ranunculaceae
Fluffy clouds of lilac, pink or white flowers, all stamens and no petals, float above blue-green leaves like those of a columbine in late spring.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around columbine meadow rue
The planner designed this bed around columbine meadow rue when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why columbine meadow rue stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Columbine meadow rue × 5, lavender
- 2 Blue moor grass × 5, purple
- 3 Leadwort × 24, blue
- 4 Garden phlox 'David' × 3, white
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Shooting star × 5, pink
- 7 Snowdrop × 8, white
- 8 Surprise lily × 3, pink
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are spires, dense clusters, bells and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to garden phlox 'David' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 5 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late May to late June.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Leadwort is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Lavender, purple, blue, pink and white make a cool, restful scheme.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where columbine meadow rue goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Height without weight: the leaves are delicate and the flowers are a haze, so it can stand among peonies and irises without hiding them.
- An airy layer in late spring
- Woodland edges and moist borders
- Fine foliage
What to plant with columbine meadow rue
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian iris: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; happy in the same moist soil.
- Peony: in flower together for four weeks, from late May.
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about columbine meadow rue
Does columbine meadow rue need sun or shade?
Columbine meadow rue grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does columbine meadow rue grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does columbine meadow rue flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should columbine meadow rue be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many columbine meadow rue plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is columbine meadow rue poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like columbine meadow rue?
Columbine meadow rue comes from Europe, Central Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Southern blue flag: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; blue, not lavender, bold leaves, not fine.
- Ohio spiderwort: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to mid July, blue, not lavender.
- Beardtongue 'Husker Red': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not lavender, medium leaves, not fine.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat columbine meadow rue?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after columbine meadow rue?
Columbine meadow rue is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does columbine meadow rue look like in winter?
Columbine meadow rue dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
Is columbine meadow rue good for bees and butterflies?
Columbine meadow rue is visited by butterflies.
More Thalictrum
- Chinese meadow rue 'Hewitt's Double' Thalictrum delavayi 'Hewitt's Double'
- Lavender mist meadow rue Thalictrum rochebruneanum
- Meadow rue 'Black Stockings' Thalictrum 'Black Stockings'
- Rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
- Yellow meadow rue Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Late May to late June; feathery plumes; lavender, pink, white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; blue-green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, Central Asia
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, heat, humidity
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.