Aquilegia
Aquilegia spp.
Special Features
Features distinctive, bell-shaped flowers and is ideal for woodland and rock gardens. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies with its nectar-rich blooms.
Plant Specifications
Our team will help you integrate this plant into your landscape design
Growing Aquilegia on Martha's Vineyard
Aquilegia, the columbines, are beloved spring-blooming perennials that naturalize readily in the varied garden conditions of Martha's Vineyard, from the sunny, well-drained borders of coastal Edgartown properties to the shaded woodland margins of up-island gardens in West Tisbury and Chilmark. The native Aquilegia canadensis is particularly well-adapted to the island's acidic, sandy soils and provides critical early-season nectar for ruby-throated hummingbirds during their northbound spring migration through the Vineyard. Garden hybrids in a full spectrum of colors from pure white through red, pink, purple, and bicolor bring ornamental variety to the spring border that few other perennials can match at the same season.
Self-seeding ensures naturalistic colony maintenance with minimal propagation effort. Deer resistance is generally reliable. Estate Care professionals allow columbines to self-seed freely within managed border areas, editing seedlings as needed to prevent overcrowding while maintaining the spontaneous, naturalistic character that makes them irreplaceable in the island spring garden.
