The Santa System Columbines are among my favorite flowers in the garden. Easily grown for the most part, Aquilegia come in all sizes from less than six inches to over four feet in height. Some have short spurs on the bloom, others have long graceful adornments. A few are double blooming.
Color can range from red to chocolate, milk-white to mauve, clearest blue to deepest royal purple.
Combinations of colors such as red on the outside of the petals and yellow on the inside are found in the species Aquilegia canadensis . The Rocky Mountain columbine, A. caerulea , has true-blue sepals and spurs, with white blades. The graceful foliage can vary in color from a deep green to a whitish or bluish green, and there are variegated forms. Their adult lives are spent as flies with a dedication to laying eggs on their favorite plants. Many species are very specific as to their chosen incubators for the young.