Information on the Blue Columbine Flower

Types and Geography

• Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) is a native columbine with blue flowers, growing wild in western states such as Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico and California, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Fan columbine (Aquilegia flabellata) is a native of Japan. A European blue columbine flower is Granny's Bonnet (Aquilegia vulgaris), a species from which botanists developed numerous blue cultivars, including Tower Dark Blue and Clementine Blue. Hybrid forms of columbine known for their blue flowers include Blue Shades, Blue Bird and Navy and White.

USDA Zones

• The majority of blue columbines display excellent tolerance to cold climate zones, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 and 4. These same blue flowers withstand the warmth of summer in zones such as 7, 8 and 9. Fan columbine is even appropriate for zone 10. Among those a bit more sensitive to hot summers are the Remembrance and Spezialrasse hybrid types, which do not do well when planted in zones hotter than zone 8.

Size

• Ministar is a very short columbine, growing to 8 inches on average and producing a blue and white flower. Pumila is a variety with sky blue flowers that grows to 12 inches high. Taller columbines with blue flowering effects include the Blue Bonnet cultivar and the parent species of Granny's Bonnet -- both grow to 30 inches tall. Utilize the taller types in butterfly and hummingbird gardens so you can see winged visitors more easily.

Growth

• Blue columbines grow best in fertile, damp soil, but not in those that are constantly wet and feature poor drainage. Full sunshine and partially shady sites support their growth. Most columbines flower in the springtime, but by continuing to water them after they bloom, you can keep the foliage fresh. The leaves make excellent groundcover once the flowers pass. By the middle of summer, cut the plants down to ground level as the foliage fades.