6 Best Columbine Seeds For Attracting Hummingbirds That Return Every Year

There’s nothing quite like watching a hummingbird zip around the garden, a flash of iridescent color. If you want to make your property a regular stop on their route, columbines are one of the surest bets you can make. Planting the right varieties from seed establishes a reliable food source that brings them back, year after year.

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Why Columbines Are a Hummingbird Garden Staple

Columbine flowers are practically custom-designed for hummingbirds. Their unique, spurred petals form deep nectar tubes that are perfectly suited for a hummingbird’s long beak and tongue. This design makes the nectar inaccessible to many other insects, reserving the high-energy reward for these special avian visitors.

Their bloom time is another key factor. Columbines typically flower in late spring and early summer, a critical period that often coincides with hummingbird migration and nesting. Providing this reliable food source when they need it most encourages them to stay and even raise their young nearby. Because they are perennials that readily self-seed, a small patch of columbines quickly becomes a permanent, self-sustaining feeding station.

Aquilegia canadensis: The Classic Native Choice

If you live in Eastern or Central North America, this is your plant. Aquilegia canadensis, or Wild Red Columbine, is the species that co-evolved with the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Its nodding, red and yellow flowers are the exact color combination and shape that signals "food" to them.

The real beauty of a native plant is its resilience. It’s already adapted to your climate, your soil, and your local pests. Plant it in a spot with decent drainage and part shade, and it will largely take care of itself, forming a beautiful, airy clump that returns reliably every spring without any fuss. This is the definition of a low-effort, high-reward plant for a hummingbird garden.

Aquilegia formosa: A Western Hummingbird Magnet

For those in the western half of the continent, Aquilegia formosa is the equivalent of its eastern cousin. Often called Western or Crimson Columbine, it shares the same classic red-and-yellow, spurred flower that western hummingbird species like the Rufous and Anna’s find irresistible. It’s a foundational plant for any wildlife garden in its native range.

Like A. canadensis, its strength lies in its adaptability. It thrives in the varied conditions of the West, from mountain meadows to woodland edges. Once established, it’s remarkably drought-tolerant, a crucial trait for water-wise gardening. Choosing this species ensures you’re working with your local ecosystem, not against it.

‘McKana’s Giant’ Mix for Season-Long Color

Sometimes you want sheer volume and variety, and that’s where the ‘McKana’s Giant’ mix comes in. This isn’t a single species but a hybrid mix bred for huge, long-spurred flowers in a rainbow of colors—blue, yellow, pink, white, and red. They put on a spectacular show that can last for weeks.

Here’s the tradeoff: while hummingbirds will certainly visit these flowers, especially the red and pink ones, they may not be as perfectly tailored to them as the native species. However, the sheer number of blooms and the extended flowering season can make up for it. This is a great choice if you want a classic cottage garden look that also serves as a general pollinator buffet.

‘Origami Red and White’ for Showy, Large Blooms

If you want a plant that stops human visitors in their tracks as much as it does hummingbirds, ‘Origami Red and White’ is a top contender. This cultivar features exceptionally large, upward-facing flowers with bold red spurs and a clean white corolla. The color contrast is stunning and highly visible from a distance.

The "showy" nature of these blooms doesn’t detract from their function. The bright red is a powerful attractant, and the large flower size means a generous nectar reward for each visit. This is an excellent choice for a more manicured garden bed where you want a tidy, uniform look without sacrificing wildlife value.

A. skinneri ‘Tequila Sunrise’ for Hot Colors

Native to the American Southwest and Mexico, Aquilegia skinneri brings a different color palette to the garden. The ‘Tequila Sunrise’ variety boasts stunning flowers with orange-scarlet spurs and a lime-green to yellow corolla. These "hot" colors are absolute hummingbird magnets.

This species also tends to be more heat-tolerant than others and can have a very long bloom period, sometimes flowering from late spring right into the fall in milder climates. Planting this variety can help you bridge the gap between early spring and late summer nectar sources, keeping hummingbirds fed and happy on your property for a longer season.

A. chrysantha ‘Yellow Queen’ for Brightness

While red is the most famous hummingbird color, don’t discount yellow. Hummingbirds are attracted to a wide range of bright, tubular flowers, and Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Yellow Queen’ is a standout. This native of the Southwest produces large, fragrant, brilliant yellow flowers with exceptionally long spurs.

‘Yellow Queen’ is perfect for adding a splash of bright contrast to a planting of red columbines. The visual diversity can help catch the eye of passing hummingbirds, and the nectar-rich flowers will keep them coming back. It’s also known for being a longer-lived perennial than many of the fancy hybrids, making it a solid, reliable choice.

Planting and Care for Perennial Columbine Blooms

Getting columbines started from seed is straightforward, but they do have one key requirement: cold stratification. This simply means the seeds need a period of cold, moist conditions to break dormancy. You can achieve this by sowing them outdoors in the fall or by mixing the seeds with damp sand in a baggie and refrigerating them for 4-6 weeks before spring planting.

Once they sprout, columbines are not fussy. They prefer well-drained soil and do best in locations that get morning sun and afternoon shade, though many will tolerate full sun. They will self-sow readily, which is a good thing—individual plants are often short-lived perennials, so allowing them to seed ensures your patch continues year after year. If you want to prevent them from spreading or hybridizing, simply snip off the spent flower stalks before they set seed.

Ultimately, the best strategy is to plant a mix of varieties. Combining a reliable native like A. canadensis with a showy hybrid and a long-blooming species like A. skinneri creates a diverse, resilient, and beautiful feeding ground that will make your garden an essential stop for hummingbirds every single year.