FlowersColumbine
Aquilegia vulgaris
Difficulty: Easy
Common columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) is a perennial with nodding, spurred flowers. It is grown from seed in spring or autumn, in full sun or partial shade.
How to grow columbine
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Comparing Columbine vs. Balloon Flower
The comparison
Columbine vs. Balloon Flower
| Fact | | |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Easy | Moderate |
| Life cycle | Perennial | Perennial |
| Germination time | 21–28 days | Not yet verified |
| Germination temperature | 21–24 °C70–75 °F | Not yet verified |
| Sun | Full sun, partial shade | Full sun, partial shade |
| Water | Moderate | Moderate |
| Links |
Up close
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What each one is, in a few lines, with the full growing guide one click away.
- Flowers
- Flowers
Balloon Flower
Platycodon grandiflorus
Difficulty: ModerateBalloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) is a perennial that is easy to grow from seed in full sun to partial shade. Plants are slow to establish and emerge late in spring.
How to grow balloon flower
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Add a third seed, or swap one for a close relative from the same category.
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Columbine vs. Balloon Flower vs. AgeratumAdd ageratum as a third- Columbine vs. African DaisyColumbine against another flower
- Balloon Flower vs. African DaisyBalloon Flower against another flower
- Columbine vs. African MarigoldColumbine against another flower
The table, row by row
How to read a comparison
Every row is a fact from each seed's own profile, lined up so the differences stand out.
Sprouting
Germination time and temperature
How many days the seeds take to sprout, and the temperature range they sprout in.
Sowing
Sowing depth and spacing
How deep to sow each seed and how far apart the plants should grow. “On the surface” means the seed isn't covered.
Timing
Days to maturity and life cycle
How long until the plant is ready, counted from sowing or from transplanting (each value says which). Annuals live one year, biennials two, perennials longer.
Light and water
Sun and water
Full sun means 6 or more hours of direct sun a day, partial shade a few hours. Water needs are rated low, moderate or high.
Space and weather
Containers, frost tolerance and soil pH
Whether it grows in a pot, with the smallest pot when it's known. Frost tolerance runs from tender (no frost) to hardy. Soil pH 7 is neutral.
Pets
Toxicity to cats and dogs
Whether the plant is toxic to cats and dogs.
Quick wins
Fastest to sprout
Days from sowing until the first shoots appear, in good conditions.
Pet friendly
Safe around cats and dogs
Listed as non-toxic to both cats and dogs. Each seed's page has the details.
Not safe for pets: borage, buckwheat, caraway, carnation and 14 more.
Comparing
Questions about comparing
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Each seed's page explains how to grow it from seed, with facts researched and reviewed by our editors.
