Aquilegia, Canadian Columbine, Wild Columbine 'Little Lanterns'

Aquilegiacanadensis

Family
Ranunculaceae (ra-nun-kew-LAY-see-ee)
Genus
Aquilegia (a-kwi-LEE-jee-a)
Species
canadensis (ka-na-DEN-sis)
Synonym
Sun Exposure
Sun to Partial Shade
Foliage
Herbaceous
Height
6-12 in. (15-30 cm)
Spacing
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Danger
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color
Red
Pale Yellow
Bloom Time
Late Spring/Early Summer
Other Details
Category
Perennials
Water Requirements
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Foliage Color
Where to Grow
Bloom Characteristics
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information
Propagation Methods
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season
Seed Collecting
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Palmer, Alaska

Richmond, California

Demotte, Indiana

Council Bluffs, Iowa

Dundalk, Maryland

Minneapolis, Minnesota(2 reports)

Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Tekamah, Nebraska

Hudson, New Hampshire

Sicklerville, New Jersey

Elba, New York

New York City, New York

Rochester, New York

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Cincinnati, Ohio

Williamsburg, Ohio

Newalla, Oklahoma

MOUNT HOOD PARKDALE, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Crossville, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee(2 reports)

Austin, Texas

Galax, Virginia

Leesburg, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Brewster, Washington

Seattle, Washington

show all

Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

5
positives
0
neutral
0
negative
Sort By:
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A
(Zone 6b) | February 2016 | positive

Aquilegia canadensis "Little Lanterns" is a small columbine which grows good in the rockgarden here in Austria and blooms early in April....Read More

J
Palmer, AK (Zone 3b) | June 2012 | positive

'Little Lanterns' is a special, dwarf selection of A. canadensis. It is perfect for a small rock garden. The regular species can get 3 fe...Read More

N
Roanoke, VA (Zone 7b) | September 2011 | positive

I purchased 5 of what was labeled "wild columbine" in one of our local Lowe's. It was in the clearance section and all of them looked a l...Read More

L
L
Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4b) | June 2009 | positive

Short lived perennial but prolific reseeder. I transplanted about 5 plants from my parents' home 3 years ago. Now I have hundreds. They d...Read More

D
Elba, NY (Zone 6a) | April 2008 | positive

This plant brings back memories from my childhood as it always grew wild at my parents woodland home. In the summer it always looked so ...Read More

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