Michigan Columbine

Columbine are instantly recognizable for their nodding, two-toned bells and the backward-pointing spurs that give each bloom a spinning, lantern-like silhouette. Held aloft on wiry, branching stems, they bring graceful movement and an airy, old-fashioned cottage-garden charm that softens fuller spring arrangements.

Known botanically as Aquilegia, columbine include one species that grows wild across Michigan: the delicate red-and-yellow eastern wild columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, which the University of Michigan’s Michigan Flora documents as native to the state. It is an early-season nectar source for hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, while the showy long-spurred hybrids and doubles you often see in bouquets are cultivated garden selections rather than wild natives.

Columbine are cool-season perennials that peak in Michigan’s late spring, and their fragile, nodding blooms are far too delicate to survive long-distance shipping. Because our member farmers grow them locally and cut them fresh, you get a fleeting, garden-grown flower you will rarely find in a store. Reserve a DIY bucket ahead of your event, ask us to fold columbine into a custom bucket, or let our floral designers work them into a spring arrangement.