Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis



  1. Any experience on how these will do under a magnolia? Have a great spot for one next to a large lime rock boulder under a large M. grandiflora, but I am worried that the allelopathic properties of the tree may do it in.

    1. Columbine does best in limey soil and in areas where it gets sun in the late winter/early spring. It has some drought tolerance, but not for soils that stay dry for too long. Southern magnolias, being evergreen, are tough to plant under because they shade the ground year-round. Spring ephemerals, like columbine, need sun when they come up in the spring and up to about the time they bloom. I would not think your conditions would prove favorable for this plant, but try it - if it doesn't make it there, try it somewhere else. In our yard, because we have a block home, it does well near the foundation, in a somewhat moist spot where it gets some sun.

    2. Sunlight won't be an issue as it gets nice morning sun year round and then mixed shade/sun for the rest of the day. Everything seems like it should be right other than the fact that this magnolia (and others in the yard) seems to have a zone of death/decline around it for many of the species of plants that I have in my yard. I have also amended the soil to raise the PH as directed by the grower I bought it off of. I will let you know if it goes into decline like some of the other plants that were planted too close to the tree. Thanks!

