Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Aquilegia caerulea 'Crystal Star'
Crystal Star Columbine
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Height
- 24 in to 36 in
- Width
- 18 in to 24 in
- Flower color
- Pure white star shaped flowers with long elegant spurs and yellow centers
- Foliage color
- Blue green finely divided foliage with soft fern like texture
- Bloom time
- Late spring to early summer
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; deadhead spent flowers and cut back after blooming if desired
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Wildlife
- Hummingbirds, butterflies and pollinators attracted to nectar rich flowers
About this plant
Aquilegia caerulea 'Crystal Star' produces upward-facing flowers with white outer petals surrounding soft buttery-yellow inner petals and long, elegant spurs, blooming from late spring into early summer. Blue-green leaves are finely divided into rounded leaflets, creating a delicate, fern-like mound with a soft texture through the season. The flowers rise above the foliage on slender stems, their open, star-like form adding movement while attracting hummingbirds and pollinators during the bloom period.
Originating from a species native to the Rocky Mountain regions of North America, this cultivar reflects garden selection focused on refined flower form and luminous coloration. It is well suited to cottage gardens, borders, and woodland plantings, where its graceful flowering habit contributes seasonal interest.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens · Hummingbird Gardens · Cut Flower Gardens
Companion plants
Bergenias · Sedums · Lungworts · Daylilies · Japanese anemones · Bleeding hearts
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Because it is easy about light, use it to carry a planting from a sunny end of the bed into the shadier side.
