Aquilegia canadensis

Wild Columbine is a perennial wildflower that grows about 0.5 m tall and is popular among gardeners due to its beautiful red and yellow coloured flowers. These flowers are nodding flowers, meaning that they droop downwards off the end of the branch. They have five sepals and five petals that stretch upwards creating five long spurs out the back. The leaves are attractive, compound and made up of 9-27 leaflets, appear in groups of three, and are rounded or broadly egg-shaped with rounded lobes. The sweet nectar of this wildflower is a great attractant to hummingbirds and butterflies.

Wild Columbine grows best in moist conditions with shade or partial sun exposure. It prefers organically rich, well drained humus or sand but can tolerate a range of moisture conditions and soil types. It can tolerate rocky and shallow soils. This wildflower is naturally found in dry or moist forests, fens and bogs, on rocky slopes, and along stream or lake shorelines.

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Scientific Name: Aquilegia canadensis
Type: Ground Cover
Height: 0.5 m
Spread: 0.5 m
Moisture Level: dry, moist
Light Conditions: part sun, shade
Soil Conditions: sand, loam, rocky
Zone (Hardiness of Canada):