Somerset County

Aquilegia canadensis” Corbett” 

Plant of the Week... 

...is a compact native plant commonly known as Columbine that grows only 9-12 inches tall, thrives in light to moderate shade, preferring afternoon shade.  ‘Corbett’ prefers organically rich, moist soils but can thrive in a wide range of soil types if there is good drainage. Like all columbines, they have arching stems holding bell-shaped flowers with spurs that seem to rocket the plants forward. And like all Columbine, Corbett’ self-seeds profusely to create a small pocket meadow of small nodding yellow Columbine. These tiny but beautiful flowers bloom from April to May and attract pollinators like hummingbirds and bees.   The Columbine leaves are medium green and seem delicate as each leaf is made up of leaflet, and each leaflet is also divided into 3 more leaflets, creating 9 tender leaflets. This composition of the leaflets creates a fern-like appearance, fitting well into the woodland landscapes.  Plants are cold tolerant in USDA zones 3-8, and are tolerant of rabbit and deer browsing, drought and dry soils for short periods of time. ‘Corbette’ has excellent resistance to leaf miner, keeping the foliage looking lovely longer and healthier.  These native plants live for 3-5 years before dying out, but the seedlings often make it look like the plants thrive forever.  Plants can be planted as companions to many spring bulbs that bloom at the edges of the woods or in woodland gardens, hummingbird gardens, cottage gardens and naturalized areas. 

Ginny Rosenkranz

Extension Advisory Committee