by Kriss Erickson

Created on: May 30, 2008   Last Updated: May 31, 2008

Beautiful, versatile columbine plants grow in many areas of the world. Columbines are perennial herbal plants that originally came from Europe but has been naturalized in the United States. Columbine grow from one to three feet tall. Their slender, delicate branches are tipped with clusters of small, round leaves. The flowers spring from several slim, tall spires that sprout from the middle of the plant in mid-May. The plant blooms usually through June.

Though columbine plants enjoy rich, moist soil in dappled shade, they are very easy to grow because they adapt to many soil conditions. I have columbines growing in the middle of a graveled walkway. Columbines come in a wide variety of colors and styles. reds, blues, purples, yellows, bicolors and whites are common. The flowers can be double and ruffled or sharply pointed with five gorgeous backward-facing spurs that can grow nearly an inch long. A feature of columbine that I enjoy is its ability to hybridize itself. I allow my columbine to grow where it will and develop seeds each year, knowing that I can anticipate a fireworks show of unique colors in the spring. It amazes me how many colors have arisen from the combination of a single white and a double purple columbine plant. This year, for example, I have single and double flowers in white, purple, light blue, dark blue and a combination of those colors in bicolor.

If you'd rather not allow columbine to mix and change its colors, cut the flowers back before they produce their seeds. Your original columbine plants should thrive in your garden for 3 - 5 years before they need to be replaced. Allowing columbine to naturalize is less predictable but ensures columbine plants for many years.

Aside from the beauty and versatility of columbine plants, they are also useful herbal plants. According to "The Herb Book" by John Lust, columbine root can be made into a tea and used to treat diarrhea. Columbine leaves have also been used as a tea to gargle to aid a sore throat or to heal sores in the mouth. The fresh root can be made into a cream and used externally to soothe arthritis.

I would rather let my columbine naturalize in my garden and enjoy their blooms than use them as a remedy. After they finish blooming and drop their seeds, I cut back the plants to make room for later blooming plants, confident that my columbines will return the following spring.

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