Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant western columbine
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 26; Spokane Apr 1 – May 27; Boise Mar 20 – May 15; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 23.
Your dates in
Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa) is a native perennial wildflower in the buttercup family, about 2 to 3 feet tall. Each flower has long red spurs that hold nectar at the tip, where hummingbirds and long-tongued insects can reach it. The ferny blue-green leaves look good before and after bloom.
Puts western columbine on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 inches apart
- Planting depth
- Same depth as in the pot; scatter seeds on the surface
- Frost
- Hardy perennial; comes back every year
- First harvest
- Blooms the first or second spring
Nodding red and yellow flowers that hummingbirds love, from late spring into summer. It handles sun or part shade and reseeds gently. Each plant lives only a few years, but its seedlings take over.
Western columbine planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Mar 5 – Apr 30 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Mar 13 – May 8 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Mar 4 – Apr 29 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 30 – Jun 25 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 23 – Jun 18 |
| Madras, OR, Prineville, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
| Baker City, OR, Enterprise and Joseph, OR, John Day, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
|---|---|
| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Mar 18 – May 13 |
| Shelton, WA | Mar 16 – May 11 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Sequim, WA | Mar 10 – May 5 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Mar 11 – May 6 |
|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 3 – May 29 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 7 – Jun 2 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 27 – May 22 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|
| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|
| Lewiston, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| McCall, ID | May 11 – Jul 6 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Salmon, ID | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
Western columbine year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Mar | Apr | ||||||||||
| In bloom | Apr | May | Jun |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow western columbine
- Pick a spot in sun or part shade with soil that drains well. Woodland edges and rock gardens both suit it.
- Plant western columbine plants on your city's dates, 12 to 18 inches apart. Same depth as in the pot; scatter seeds on the surface.
- Water through the first summer. Plant away from garden hybrid columbines if you want seedlings to stay true.
- Harvest: Enjoy the flowers in the garden from late spring into summer. Let some seed pods ripen and split so seedlings replace older plants.
Growing western columbine in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Western columbine grows in part shade and moist soil, and its red-and-yellow flowers draw hummingbirds in spring.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
It grows wild east of the Cascades too, usually in moist, shady spots; give it afternoon shade in gardens.
More western columbine varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Western columbine
Sold as plants and seed by native plant nurseries. Red and yellow nodding flowers that hummingbirds love.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
Plant 3 or more, 1 to 2 feet apart. Plants are short-lived but reseed.
Key numbers
- Both sidesNative range
- May–JulyBloom
- 1–3 ftHeight
- 3–4 years, reseedsLifespan
Top care tip: Let a few seed pods ripen each summer so seedlings replace older plants.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
A hummingbird flower
Western columbine has nodding red flowers with yellow centers and long spurs, built for hummingbird beaks. It blooms from late spring into summer and grows wild in open woods, meadows and rocky slopes on both sides of the Cascades.
Its lacy, blue-green leaves look good even when it's not in bloom.
Planting from plants or seed
Plant young plants in spring or fall in sun or part shade. Any soil that drains reasonably well works. In hot eastern gardens, afternoon shade helps.
Seed needs a cold, moist period to sprout. Scatter it on the soil surface in fall and let winter do the work, or chill it in the fridge in damp sand for a few weeks before spring sowing.
Care and reseeding
Each plant lives only a few years, but it reseeds. Let a few seed pods ripen and split to keep columbines coming. Garden hybrid columbines cross with it easily, so keep them apart if you want true seedlings.
Leaf miners leave white trails in the leaves. They're harmless to the plant; cut the foliage back after flowering and fresh leaves grow in.
Good neighbors
Grows well with
- Oregon iris. The same sun to part shade.
- Red-flowering currant. Together they feed hummingbirds from early spring into summer.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with western columbine in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Leaf miners
Signs: White squiggles in the leaves.
What to do: Cosmetic; cut foliage back after flowering.
Aphids
Signs: Clusters on stems.
What to do: Hose them off.
Short-lived plants
Signs: Plants fade after a few years.
What to do: Let some seed pods ripen so seedlings replace them.
Common questions about growing western columbine
When should I plant western columbine in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 26 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 27 in Spokane, Mar 20 – May 15 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 23 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Does western columbine attract hummingbirds?
Yes. The red, spurred flowers are made for hummingbirds.
Does columbine come back every year?
Plants live a few years and reseed, so a patch keeps going if you let some seed drop.
Why are there white lines in my columbine leaves?
Leaf miners, small larvae that tunnel inside the leaves. It's cosmetic. Cut damaged leaves back after flowering.
See what else to plant in March or April.
Huckleberries
Oregon grape
Red-flowering currant
Serviceberry
Camas
Thimbleberry
Salmonberry
Salal
Kinnikinnick
Douglas aster
Oregon sunshine
Pacific ninebark
Sword fern
Oregon iris