perennial
Wild columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Wild columbine is a fast-growing perennial hardy in zones 3–8. Expect 1–2.5 ft of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part shade with average water. Expect red and yellow flowers in April to June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Midwest, the Great Plains and Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Aquilegia canadensis
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained soil; thrives in thin, rocky soil.
- Mature size
- 1–2.5 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Apr–Jun · red and yellow
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Not on the ASPCA list; columbines contain cyanogenic compounds. Marked toxic as a precaution.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Great Plains and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- quart pot, typically $8–$14 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Leave some seed to self-sow; cut tired foliage in midsummer.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Wild columbine, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Canadian wild gingerAsarum canadensegroundcover · zones 3–8
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Fringed bleeding heartDicentra eximiaperennial · zones 3–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Wild columbine: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants