Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants
Herbaceous Perennial

Aquilegia 'Bluebird' (Songbird Series)
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

columbine 'Bluebird'

An upright perennial with divided, grey-green leaves and slightly nodding flowers with spreading, dark-tipped, light blue sepals and white petals with straight, blue spurs

Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Blue White Green
Summer Blue White Green
Autumn
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

East–facing or South–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Ranunculaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus

Aquilegia are clump-forming herbaceous perennials with long-stalked, ternately divided basal leaves and erect, leafy stems bearing bell-shaped flowers with spreading, coloured sepals and petals with spurs, on branched stems

Name status

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in spring, late summer or early autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
Pruning

Cut back after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids

Diseases

Susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.