Columbine is native to the Sierra Mountains and being fairly new, genetically speaking, it still crosses with other varieties making germination by seed very unreliable. Warning: growing from seed is also painfully slow. Therefore, the only way to be certain of the flower color you will get is to purchase a plant when it is in bloom. Their bloom period is long, from early spring to summer, so you have planty of time to email and reserve. in the first photo with three flowers, the middle is the dominant orange native that the plant will default to by seed germination. It has been very interesting to see the crosses expressed either red or purple and single or double layered. The others are crosses between a purple columbine and the orange which became raspberry red. The purple hybrid was a double decker (two levels of petals).

Columbine loves shade and ours is hot and dry here. It is drought tolerant after the second or third year. It grows tall to two feet and some will need staking. Bumblebees, Carpenter bees and hummingbirds frequent this long blooming dainty- leaved pollinator powerhouse.

A nice companion plant with Astilbe.