Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
I always see on other websites that columbine will grow in full sun and perhaps it does further north. But, here in mid-Georgia, I always plant columbine in morning sun with afternoon shade. It does best in humus rich, moist but well-drained soils.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
Columbine produce several flowers per flower stem. When a flower has faded you can pinch it off with your fingers or cut it with scissors if you want. Be careful not to cut off any remaining flower buds on the same stem.

When all the flowers on any given stem/ branch have been pruned off, you can cut that entire stem down to where it joins the next biggest branch, leaving any buds and flowers on the adjacent branches.

When you've removed all the faded flowers and have only a bare stem, cut the stem down to the height of the basal rosette of foliage. After removing the spent flower stems, In a few weeks, you might notice fresh sets of stems with flower buds emerging.

At the end of the season allow columbine plants to go dormant naturally when cold weather arrives - do not remove green foliage.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
In spring, I always use a slow release granular flower food to feed Columbine. Alternatively, you can fertilize once a month with a water-soluble plant food.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
I've seen very few problems with Columbine. Consistently wet and boggy soil can cause problems. Too dry of soil can cause problems as well. Provide supplemental water during prolonged period of drought to keep the soil moist. Columbine is deer resistant.