When to plant and prune Aquilegia (columbine, granny's bonnet)
Aquilegia (columbine, granny's bonnet) flowers from early May to late June and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Aquilegia (columbine, granny's bonnet) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| East Anglia | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Northern England | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Northern Ireland | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to mid May | early May to late June | late June to late July |
Growing notes
Individual plants are short-lived, often only one or two good seasons, so let a few seedheads ripen if you want it to persist. Seedlings hybridise freely and will not come true to the parent plant.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 75 cm
- Eventual spread
- 45 cm
- Hardiness
- H7
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 10 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Feeding
Spring mulch; no other feeding needed.
Pruning group
Cut the whole plant down to the base after flowering: it stops it seeding everywhere and a fresh flush of foliage follows.
What usually goes wrong
- short-lived plants
- prolific self-seeding
- seedlings not true to type
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for aquilegia (columbine, granny's bonnet).