Wild columbine

Questions about wild columbine

Does wild columbine need sun or shade?

Wild 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 wild columbine grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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 wild columbine flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 wild columbine be planted?

12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many wild columbine plants do I need?

At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 38 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 four in four groups.

Is wild 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.

Is there a pet-safe plant like wild columbine?

These come closest to doing what wild columbine does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Peach-leaved bellflower: an accent, not a weaver, 6 in taller.
• Balloon flower: the same size; a drift, not a weaver, flowers early July to mid August.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat wild columbine?

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.

Will wild 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 wild columbine?

Wild columbine is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.

What does wild columbine look like in winter?

Wild columbine dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.

Is wild columbine good for bees and butterflies?

Wild columbine is visited by pollinators, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and songbirds.

It is native to the United States and Canada.