(Aquilegia oxysepala ‘Oriental’)
Oriental Columbine is a perennial flower native to northern Asia. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 2-3' and features dark green, rounded leaflets and nodding 1” blooms with maroon sepals, hooked spurs, and pale yellow inner petals. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and pollinating moths, resists deer and rabbits, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
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General Information
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Starting Columbine Seeds
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Seedling
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Harvesting
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Seed Saving
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Companion Planting
Genus: Aquilegia
Species: oxysepala
Variety: Oriental Columbine
Also Known As: Honeysuckle, Rock Lily, Granny's Bonnet
Native to: Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Florida, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Italy, Japan, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kuril Is., Magadan, Maine, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Qinghai, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Sicilia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Spain, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tennessee, Texas, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Utah, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Yukon
Introduced into: Argentina South, Azores, Canary Is., Chile Central, Chile South, Denmark, East European Russia, Ecuador, Finland, Kamchatka, Krym, Madeira, New Brunswick, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Newfoundland, North European Russi, Norway, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward I., South European Russi, Sweden, Tasmania, Victoria
Ease of Growing: Moderate.
Grown as: Perennial
Maturity (Bloom): Spring-Early Summer
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade.
Water: Medium.
Soil Moisture: Medium.
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes. Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Pollinating Moths, as well as resisting deer and rabbits.
Containers?: Yes.
Height: 24-36”
Spacing: 12-15”
Sow Depth: 1/4"
USDA Zone: 3a-8b
Produces: dark green, rounded leaflets and nodding 1” blooms with maroon sepals, hooked spurs, and pale yellow inner petals.
Starting Columbine Seeds Indoors for Spring
Transplanting Columbine Seedlings Outdoors for Spring
Starting Columbine Seeds Outdoors for Spring
Starting Columbine Seeds Outdoors in Fall
Using companion plants as a border, backdrop, or interplanting in your garden beds will allow you to harness the ecosystem to its full potential. It is best to use plants native to your area so that the insects you seek to attract will know what to look for!
Phlox, a purplish-blue woodland flower, work well with columbines to form a shady border. Both types of flowers prefer light to moderate shade and bloom in the mid- to late spring. Another border option is the toad lily, which blooms just after the columbine wanes in spring, leading to a beautiful garden throughout the season.
A good vegetable companion to the columbine is rhubarb which, in addition to its nutritional qualities, deters the red spider mites which often prey on columbines. Rhubarb leaves can also form a natural deterrent to blackspot on roses when boiled.
Other light-shade lovings plants prove good companions to columbines. These include ferns, woodland flowers, Jeepers Creepers Tiarella, Chocolate Chip Ajuga and hostas. Cottage or prairie plants, such as False Indigo or Autumn Bluch Coreopsis, can be combined to create an informal feel while allowing varying soil conditions and light shade to yield blossoms.
Suggested Varieties
(Rheum rhabarbarum 'Victoria')
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Victoria Rhubarb is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather perennial vegetable that is native to Deptford, England where it was developed by horticultural expert Joseph Myatt in 1837. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 30” and features large deep green leaves that have green, pink, and red veins, and long tender stems that have glossy red skin. This plant can be grown in a container, is used to make insecticides, repels spider mites, and is both edible and medicinal!