Aquilegia, Hybrid Columbine, Songbird Columbine 'Cardinal'

They're now in bloom in my zone 7b garden. The flowers are so beautiful!

Columbines are easy, short-lived perennials, promiscuous hybridizers and self-sowers. The Songbird series gets highest praise from connoi...Read Moresseurs, with large, long-spurred, upward facing flowers.

According to Robert Nold, the Songbird series was created by the late Charles L. Weddle, Jr., of Paonia, CO, by crossing A. coerulea with the McCana's Giant strain and the Dwarf Fairyland series. According to Graham Rice, he also used A. canadensis, A. skinneri, A. californica and A. chrysantha, and perhaps A. longissima.

When he died in 1986 his stocks were bought by PanAmerican Seed, refined and upgraded, and re-introduced in the late 1980s. The series has since been expanded and quietly upgraded over the years under the guidance of breeder Dr Ellen Leue.

'Cardinal' is red and white, and grows up to 18' tall and 12" wide. Like the other Songbird cultivars, it's an F1 hybrid and will not come true from seed.

Columbines have deep taproots. Mature plants are very difficult to transplant or divide, and neither is generally recommended.

Columbines prefer slightly alkaline soils, and are especially short-lived where soils are very acid unless lime is added.

Deadheading is also essential for longer garden life.

The cultivar name is 'Cardinal'. "Songbird" is the name of the series and not part of the cultivar name.

This is a beautiful plant with gorgeous blooms. The colors on the blooms are quite lovely. This summer, it bloomed for at least 2 month...Read Mores. The flowers are very large.

Last year, my 2 year old plant bloomed for over a month without dead heading. I traded for as many columbine seeds as I could get this ye...Read Morear :) Not sure if any will be as beautiful as this one, but even if they are close, they'll do.