Realm of the Mystic Griffin

Purple Columbine (Aquilegia), originating in the upper Pacific Northwestern USA

 You are welcome to use the Contact page to ask any questions you may have. Purchase seed packet below.

*Columbine Club Pack   $2.45 

 

 $.75 First Class shipping (USA). Contact for correct postage for additional seed packs. See FAQ page for more shipping details. Quantity limited.

  Your purchase includes a one inch by one inch sized baggie of well over 100 seeds and a mini planting/care guide. I've seen smaller amounts of seeds offered at as much as $3.00 for a very similar variety of Columbine. I have yet to find another image on the Net of this short spurred purple columbine flowering plant.

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* Purple Columbine (Aquilegia), plant in my possession originating in the upper Pacific Northwestern, USA
* perennial
* Partial shade to full sun, nearly all soil conditions from rich to rocky
* generally will not grow near parsley but does very well with clover species
* blooms 1 to 2 1/2 inches wide flowers with white or purple centers, 1/2" to 1" bloom spurs
* bloom stalks range from 12" to 37" tall
* deep green three toed foliage ranges 10" to 16" high or so, individual plants can spread up to 2' wide on red purple branching stalks
* will spread, but easy to contain with care of seed fall
* We do not use chemicals in our gardens! Not intended for consumption, though.
* perfect for English, Oriental, and Country style gardening

METAPHYSICAL USES: Used in bird magick, eagle medicine, fairy or fey (Fae) works, and spells for love and insight. Purple Columbine is said to bring the determination to win. Fair-folk, gnomes, brownies and other wee-folk may actually harvest the nectar for wine or a vodka like drink, making this plant an excellent garden offering!

  I just adore this somewhat hardy flowering plant! It grows rich in partial shade and survives baking in the open summer sun. I saw my very first Columbine plant while enjoying an afternoon walk in the rainforest region of upper Washington State. When I spoke with the gardener working the residential plot, I was told that the flower is a common wild mountain variety and was thought to be invasive! The woman didn't want her seemingly exotic smaller varieties to be dwarfed out by the purple Columbine, and she was pulling them as weeds; Well, this purple pleaser was exotic to me! I've since learned that cross-pollination will indeed produce flowers that are untrue to the parents look, so she knew what she was doing. At the time, I shook my head in wonder at personal tastes in gardening and went my way. A few short weeks later Mother Nature, through birds or strong winds, brought the solid purple Columbine to my very own garden; Volunteer plants can be so much fun! My husband and myself treated it like a star and a staple; filling in empty spots and softening hard corners, (note that it didn't seem to grow near parsley). Since that time I have cultivated this lovely perennial year after year. It moved with us, by seed, to the Southern Ohio Valley.
 Some resources state that the seeds of Columbine won't bloom the first year, but I've not found that to be true in my experience. Our first year in Ohio the blooms were much smaller in size than in Washington, but by the second, late season, bloom the flowers were back to being about two inches in diameter or larger! Another change was noted; some flowers had white centers, almost like two flowers in one (as seen on this page). It SEEMS that the plants in rich soiled cooler (or darker) areas with more moisture produced solid purple flowers, while those plants in hot zones with poor soil offered the white center. Both varieties are short-spurred.

 The seeds I have on hand were originally harvested from my garden in upper coastal Washington State. The plant has re-seeded just fine after being planted in Southern Ohio, where the seeds offered here were actually harvested from our garden. This plant produces large, tight meaty petal flowers with short spurs (spikes out the back of the bloom). The blooms range in size, mostly between 1 to 2 1/2 inches wide, according to individual micro-climate zones within the garden. The rich purple color and bright white center, of some of the blooms, attract large butterfly species and small hummingbirds, as well as other nectar munchers. Mature plants often reach up to 37" in height at bloom stalk, but will generally fall over to bend back up to the light. Some plants stay low to the ground at 11" to the top of foliate growth with up to 20" bloom stalks. In hotter areas, allow multiple plants to grow together and re-seed. The group works together to keep ground temperature lower and dense greenery holds in moisture. Allowing green clover to grow underneath the columbine will nourish the soil and add to the cooling moisture effect. Red and green clover also act as a ground cover, filling in possible gaps between columbine plants. Water plants during cooler times of the day, misting is prefered by columbine in addition to watering the soil, when rain is scarce.
 After the first bloom in Spring, I generally cut off the dead-head flower stalks to encourage re-blooming and tidy up. The plant will continue to bloom for a time, then will hold the lovely three toed leaves until temperatures remain below freezing, (frost does burn the leaves). In late Summer or early Fall a second bloom cycle occurs, (in the Pacific Northwest bloom happened nearly year round, falling back to foliage only in the depth of Winter). Continue to dead-head, or allow the bloom stalks to re-seed. Cut the stalks when they turn brown, shake them upside down to broadcast seeds or allow the wind to do the job; the pods sound like wispy rattles when shaking in the wind!