COLUMBINE

When they bloom: Spring

The delicate flowers are so exotic-looking, yet these perennials are tough and very cold-hardy. Plant them with other spring perennials and annuals for best effect. They're also sometimes called Granny's bonnet (how cute is that!).

When to Plant Columbine

• Direct-sow in the ground in fall or after last spring frost.
• Alternatively, sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. 

How to Plant Columbine

• Press the seed into the soil, but do not cover it. 
• Thin to the strongest plants.
• If setting a mature plant into a container, create a hole twice the diameter of the “old” pot. Set the top of the root ball level with the soil surface. Fill in with soil, then tamp gently, and water.
• Outdoors, space mature plants 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on mature size of the variety. Water thoroughly.

The enchanting columbine (Aquilegia), with its multi-colored petals, blooms from spring through early summer. Though this perennial wildflower appears delicate, it’s among the hardiest of native plants as well as deer-resistant, providing early nectar for pollinators. Here’s how to plant and grow columbine flowers in your garden.