Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns' (Wild Columbine)

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns' is a dwarf cultivar of columbine, a short-lived, spring-blooming perennial that produces showy red and yellow blooms from spring into early summer. As a dwarf cultivar, 'Little Lanterns' grows in bushy upright clumps only 8-10" tall with miniature bell or talon-shaped flowers to boot (flowers are only about an inch in length, compared to 2-3" for most other cultivars). This short lived, spring ephemeral is easy to grow and will self seed to form large colonies over time.

Aquilegia canadensis prefers average, well-draining soils in part shade, and can be found in nature in partly shaded woodland environments. Just like their parent species, 'Little Lanterns' columbine is freely self-seeding, and may form colonies over time, producing 'Little Lanterns' for your pollinator garden, woodland planting, or fairy/gnome home for years to come. Again, just like the parent species, 'Little Lanterns' also has a ton of ecological appeal for butterflies, caterpillars, pollinators, and birds, and makes for an outstanding display when massed together.