Columbine is one of my favorite plants, it is evergreen in zone 8 and blooms beautifully in shade or part shade for about two months in the spring.
It does require a little more water than other native plants, but it is really worth the extra care.

I like columbine too! it self sows and grows in sun or shade. I have a love-hate relationship with the way they cross-pollinate, you never know what your going to get

I have Red Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis as well and they do cross sometimes, but I love the combinations they make,
I wish I could duplicate them.

When the seedpods dry, I start scattering the seeds everywhere to hopefully keep the columbine going. Every year I never know where the columbine will spring up, always a surprise.

Columbines are definitely a good choice for shade gardens.
There are so many varieties, and then they cross, making for interesting new ones.
Golden Columbine, Aquilegia chrysanthe, is growing happily north of my house.

They look so delicate but are so tough! Ace

They certainly are beautiful and delicate looking, but tough and productive.
Here are some pictures of my back and front yards from last spring.

I am going to use this thread list to build a shade plant list for future consideration as I build my small shade garden. This one is definitely on the "list"

Yes, these are so easy and beautiful

I love columbines! not so much the bugs...


I was reading somewhere ? about sticky, western columbine attracting all manner of winged critters, the critters getting stuck on them, the carcasses of stuck critters coating them, thereby attracting carnivorous critters to eat the stuck bugs and hang out on the columbines to eat their pests as well
Seems to work, but it's kinda gross

I love all columbines, I have quite a few in my gardens including a yellow, I have no idea what variety it is as it was in the garden when we bought the house 15 years ago. They self seed in the garden and I think others must get blown in with the wind, last summer there was a white that I did not plant, it was really lovely.

I have never had insects on mine, they are pretty much pest free, but as we know that could change, I guess I am just lucky.
Here is the only cross I have between the red and the yellow, I really love the color.

That's pretty!

I get tons of aphids, drives me crazy!

I've never noticed bugs on my columbine either.

Josephine, your pics are very pretty! So lush looking:)

@frostweed - Josephine, what a beautiful cross!

Thank you Ladies, the color is gorgeous and the get very tall, some as tall as four feet.

Oooh, I would love a 4-foot tall columbine. Mine probably only get about 3 feet.

Vickie, the only trouble with them being tall is you would probably have to stake them, I find that even at 3 feet the bloom stalks tend to blow over in the wind.

Didn't think of that Margaret, but you are right.

Yes, they do fall over if they get too tall, but they sure are impressive.