Golden columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha · Ranunculaceae
Tall, with large, long-spurred, clear yellow flowers for two months, far longer than other columbines. It tolerates heat.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Weaver
A bed built around golden columbine
The planner designed this bed around golden columbine when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why golden columbine stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Golden columbine × 3, yellow
- 2 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 16, yellow
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 6 Blue-stemmed goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 7 Spring starflower × 12, blue
- 8 Crocus 'Ruby Giant' × 12, purple
Why this plant
- The only bells. The others are dense clusters, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
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 blue-stemmed goldenrod (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one clump. A single spire is too slight to hold a place alone, so here the accent is a clump.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From late May to mid July.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 35 of the 42 plants (83%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The back corners are held by golden columbine and swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet', the tallest plants on the plan. Yellow runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
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 golden columbine 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).
Its job: weaver. A light, airy plant threaded singly between sturdier ones to knit the planting together.
The longest in flower and the most heat-tolerant columbine. Soft yellow shows up in shade and partners blue flowers well.
- Long-flowering yellow for part shade
- Hot-summer regions where other columbines fail
- Hummingbird gardens
What to plant with golden columbine
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian bugloss: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for two weeks; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Woodland phlox: low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about golden columbine
Does golden columbine need sun or shade?
Golden columbine 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does golden columbine grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does golden columbine flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Early June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 5 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early July |
| Zone 9 | Late April to late 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 golden columbine 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 golden columbine 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 one at a time, threaded between sturdier plants.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is golden columbine poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. Seeds and roots can cause stomach upset if eaten, and the sap may irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat golden columbine?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will golden columbine spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Short-lived, but keeps going by self-seeding. Thin or move seedlings where they are not wanted.
What flowers after golden columbine?
Golden columbine is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall.
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does golden columbine look like in winter?
Golden columbine 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 golden columbine good for bees and butterflies?
Golden columbine is visited by hummingbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Aquilegia
- Columbine Aquilegia
- Columbine 'Nora Barlow' Aquilegia vulgaris 'Nora Barlow'
- European columbine Aquilegia vulgaris
- Fan columbine Aquilegia flabellata
- Rocky Mountain columbine Aquilegia caerulea
- Wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for hummingbirds
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
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
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; hanging bells; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; blue-green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- Utah and Arizona to Mexico with a small population in Colorado
- Attracts
- Hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, heat
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.