Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Kirigami Deep Blue & White Columbine: Spring Blue Before Lavender
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Kirigami™ Deep Blue & White columbine has large, upward-facing flowers 2½ to 3 inches across: five pointed indigo blue sepals and long, backward-sweeping blue spurs around a crisp white cup and a tuft of yellow stamens. They sit on strong, branching stems above a low mound of soft green, fan-shaped leaves, and young plants bloom their first year.
It is a Rocky Mountain-type columbine, the kind with the big, sky-facing flowers. Cut paper never looked this good.
Kirigami Deep Blue & White at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Aquilegia caerulea Kirigami™ Deep Blue & White |
| Flowers | Indigo blue sepals and spurs, white petals, 2½ to 3 inches |
| Foliage | Soft green, lobed, fan-like |
| Size | 22 to 24 inches tall, 16 to 20 inches wide |
| Bloom | Mid to late May |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4-9 |
| Light | Full sun to part shade; afternoon shade extends bloom |
| Wildlife | Great for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies; moderately deer resistant |
Opening the season for a lavender garden
Columbine and lavender do not share a bed: columbine wants more moisture and some shade, and lavender wants neither. What they share is a color story. Kirigami Deep Blue & White blooms in May, weeks before lavender, filling the cool blue-and-purple slot early in the year. Put it in a partly shaded border, at a woodland edge or along the shady side of a fence within sight of the lavender, and the blue hands off to purple as spring turns to summer.
It naturalizes beautifully in partly shaded woodland borders. Plan both light zones in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Site: full sun to part shade, in average, well-drained soil with regular moisture.
- Heat: it flowers best in cool spring weather. Afternoon shade lengthens the show.
- After bloom: deadhead to tidy the plant, or leave a few pods to self-sow.
- Leafminers: tan trails on leaves are columbine leafminer. Cut damaged foliage back after bloom for a fresh flush.
- Winter: hardy in Michigan in well-drained soil; wet winter soil causes crown rot.
A two-week vase flower
The flowers last up to two weeks in a vase, which is long for a spring perennial. Cut stems when the first flowers are open and more buds are showing color. Plan a spring cutting bed with the Cut Flower Planner.
The 72-cell plug tray
This columbine is offered as a 72-cell plug tray, a practical way to naturalize a woodland edge or plant a mass of blue. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Why do columbines disappear after a few years?
Columbines are often short-lived. Letting a few seedlings grow helps keep them in the garden, though seedlings may vary in color.
Is it safe to eat?
No. It is ornamental only, and the seeds and roots are considered toxic.
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