Aquilegia coerulea
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Also spelled caerulea.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLUMBINE
Family: Ranunculaceae
Pronounced: ack-wi-LEE-gee-uh ce-RU-lee-uh
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Southwest Montana, to northern Arizona and New Mexico.
Plant Group:
Perennial.
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Mature size: Height: 3-5 feet (1-1.5 m). Width: 24 inches (60 cm).
Mature size: Height: 24 inches (60 cm).
Width: 12 inches (30 cm).
Flowering period: Late spring to midsummer.
Flowering attributes: The long blue spurs are straight, spreading outwards; the sepals are also blue and the blades of the flowers are white.
Leaf attributes: Green, two ternate leaves with deeply lobed leaflets.
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained soil.
Feeding: Add a complete organic fertilizer when planting, and in spring when new growth begins.
Propagation Methods: Sow seed in containers as soon as ripe. Place in cold frame for winter.
Pruning Methods: Dead head spent flowers to prolong bloom. When the flush of flowers is over, cut the plants down to the ground to rejuvenate them. The columbine’s new growth is fresh and green the rest of the season.
Pests and Diseases: Powdery mildew and rust may be problems during dry summers. Caterpillars, aphids and leaf miners can also be problems. In spring, leaf miners tunnel through the surface of the leaves, leaving unsightly foliage. To remedy this, cut the stems down to the ground when plants finish flowering. The leaf miner larvae are gone by the time the second new growth begins.
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Rainy Side Notes
…to encounter a grove of these flowers in the spring mountain meadows is close to a religious experience. –Allan M. Armitage
I agree with Armitage, although I have not seen it growing in the wild, but a stand of it in full bloom in my own garden astounds me. Colorado’s state flower, Aquilegia coerulea, is the columbine we most often think about when the name comes up. A. coerulea lives longer than most species, sometimes up to four or five years.
The name coerulea means blue and oftentimes is spelled caerulea; however, coerulea, the original spelling, is the accepted one. Whichever way you spell it, this columbine is a lovely flower to grow. I sow mine from seed as I do most aquilegias. Since this genus tends to hybridize freely, a reliable source of seed is necessary to insure you grow the species you want. Bees, flies and hawk moths are the principal pollinators of the blue and white flowers that ebb and flow in rhythm with the slightest breeze.
Indigenous people chewed the seed or used an infusion of roots for abdominal pain or when feeling sick all over. They also used it as a medicine for the heart.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
Additional Reading
COLUMBINES Aquilegia, Paraquilegia and Semiaquilegia
Christopher Lloyd's Garden Flowers: Perennials, Bulbs, Grasses, Ferns
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