How to Grow Aquilegia Chrysantha

Pick a spot in full sun to light shade with either heavy or light soil, as long as the soil is well-drained. Golden columbine grows naturally in the rocky, well-drained alpine soil of higher elevations.

Dig a hole with the garden trowel about twice the size as the root ball of the columbine transplant. Add approximately the same amount of peat moss as the volume of soil removed from the hole to the soil removed from the hole. Mix the peat moss and soil together well.

Add some of the improved soil back into the bottom of the hole. Set the roots of the transplant into the planting hole. Arrange the plant so it is at the same level it was in its nursery pot. Backfill the hole with the improved soil. Gently firm the soil over the roots so the plant stands up by itself.

Form a ridge of soil around the planting hole using your hands. This will catch water so it is absorbed by the roots rather than running off.

Water the columbine with a hand watering can. Thereafter, ensure it receives about 1 inch of rainfall or water per week.

Mulch the soil in and around the planting hole. Use an organic mulch, such as shredded bark, hay, straw or buckwheat hulls. Put down a layer 3 to 6 inches thick to stop the growth of weeds and conserve moisture.

Fertilize columbine in early spring each year with a balanced 10-10-10 granulated fertilizer. Pull back the mulch. Sprinkle fertilizer in a circle about six inches away from the base of the plant. Replace the mulch.

Remove faded flowers promptly to discourage the plant from forming seeds. This prolongs the blooming season and cuts down on the number of volunteer seedlings.

Prune columbine in midsummer, immediately after it finishes blooming. Prune sparingly, removing only broken or diseased branches or those that are growing outside of the natural shape and size of the plant.