Common columbine vs Hybrid columbine

Common columbine and Hybrid columbine are often considered for the same spot in the garden (flowers, pollinator friendly). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Common columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris 70 cm × 45 cm after 10 years

A graceful perennial with nodding, spurred flowers in blue, purple, pink or white in late spring and early summer above blue-green, lobed leaves. It…

Perennial

Part shade

Full sun

from about CZK 49

Hybrid columbine

Aquilegia × hybrida 70 cm × 40 cm after 10 years

Long-spurred garden columbines are airy perennials with blue-green, fern-like foliage that carry large, often two-toned flowers in almost every colour…

Perennial

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 49

Key differences

Common columbine needs less care than Hybrid columbine.
Hybrid columbine is cheaper: about CZK 59 at the size usually planted, against about CZK 89 for Common columbine.

Which one to choose?

Common columbine is the better choice if you have little time for care.

Hybrid columbine is the better choice if price matters.

Watch out for

Common columbine

Short-lived: plants typically die out after two or three years and the planting persists through seedlings, which may not match the colour of the parent. In the hot, dry summers of Central Europe the foliage yellows and dies back after flowering, and without watering the plant may dry out altogether; cut it to the ground when that happens. Leaf miners and aphids are common, as is powdery mildew, and in cool, damp weather aquilegia downy mildew, for which affected plants have to be removed. Unless you deadhead, seedlings turn up all over the bed.

Hybrid columbine

The foliage often turns shabby by midsummer or dies back in heat: it can then be cut to the ground and will resprout if watered. Leaf miners chew winding white tunnels in the leaves, and the green larvae of the columbine sawfly can strip a plant in days in late spring. Powdery mildew is common, and leaf spot, rust and aphids occur; in Western Europe aquilegia downy mildew causes serious losses.

The data side by side

Feature	Common columbine	Hybrid columbine
Group	Perennial	Perennial
Size after 10 years	70 cm × 45 cm	70 cm × 40 cm (uncertain)
Ultimate size	0.4–1 m × 30–60 cm	30–90 cm × 30–45 cm
Growth rate	Medium	Medium (uncertain)
Light	Part shade, Full sun	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous	Average garden soil
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Low	Medium (uncertain)
Foliage	Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowering	May–July, blue, purple, pink, white, red	April–June, blue, purple, pink, red, yellow, white
Water need	Medium	Medium
Drought tolerance	Low	Low
Maintenance	Low	Medium
Planting distance	35 cm	30 cm
For dogs	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For children	Toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	approx. CZK 89	approx. CZK 59

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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