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Purple-blue columbine with distinctive spurred flowers in a shady borderPerennials

Aquilegia vulgaris

Common Columbine

columbineshade perennialbee-friendlycottage gardenspring bloomer

Common Columbine is a charming perennial with graceful, spurred flowers in purple, blue, and pink hues. The grey-green, three-lobed leaves form a loose rosette. From May to June, the distinctive blooms appear on slender, branched stems — a delightful sight in any partly shaded border.

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Before
After

Characteristics

Sun
Partial shade, Full sun
Water
Medium
Height
50–80 cm
Spread
30–50 cm
Hardiness zone
3–8
Family
Ranunculaceae
Evergreen
No
Flower colors
purple, blue, pink
Wildlife value
bees, hummingbirds, butterflies

Bloom period

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Care guide

Plant in partial shade or sun in moist, humus-rich soil. Columbine self-seeds prolifically — remove seed heads if you wish to prevent spreading. Water regularly during dry spells. Leave the foliage after flowering until it dies back naturally.

Pruning tips

Cut flower stems after blooming if you do not want self-sowing. Remove foliage only once it has fully died back. Fresh leaves emerge from the rootstock in spring.

Good companions

Purple foxglove flowers on a tall spike in partial shadePerennials

Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove

Foxglove is an imposing plant with tall flower spikes packed with thimble-shaped blooms in purple, pink, or white. The flowers appear from June to July on one-sided spires reaching up to one and a half metres. The plant is biennial but self-sows reliably, returning each summer. Note: all parts are poisonous.

Partial shadeMedium100–150 cm
Pink feathery plumes of astilbe in a shaded borderPerennials

Astilbe × arendsii

False Spirea

False Spirea is an elegant shade plant with feathery plumes in pink, red, or white above deeply cut foliage. It blooms from June to August, and the plumes retain their ornamental value even when dried. Astilbe thrives in moist, shady spots where many other plants struggle.

Partial shadeHigh50–100 cm
Large blue-green hosta leaves in a shaded gardenPerennials

Hosta sieboldiana

Hosta

Hosta is the quintessential shade plant, valued for its large, blue-green, ribbed leaves. Light purple or white bell-shaped flowers appear on tall stems in July and August. Over the years the plant forms substantial clumps that give a shaded border a lush character.

Full shadeMedium50–90 cm