FlowerColumbine
McKana Giant Columbine
McKana Giant Columbine is a spectacular hybrid perennial that grows 18 to 24 inches tall (or up to 36 inches in ideal conditions) and produces enormous, vivid blooms reaching 3 to 4 inches across. These are the brightest, most dramatic columbines you can grow, with classic summertime flowers that command attention in any garden. Hardy from zones 3 through 9, this second-year bloomer brings the wild elegance of Colorado's native woodlands to temperate gardens everywhere.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
12
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
3-9
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
McKana Giant Columbine produces the tallest and most vividly colored blooms of any columbine variety available. The flowers reach a stunning 3 to 4 inches in diameter, towering above most other perennials at 18 to 36 inches depending on growing conditions. This hybrid thrives in full sun and rewards gardeners with a long season of elegant, spurred blooms that command attention from early summer onward.
Common Uses
McKana Giant Columbine is grown as an ornamental perennial flower, prized for cutting gardens and landscape displays where its tall stems and oversized blooms create dramatic focal points. The flowers are popular in arrangements and work beautifully in mixed borders, cottage gardens, and naturalized woodland settings.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start McKana Giant Columbine seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds on moist soil surface or barely covered, as light exposure may improve germination. Maintain soil temperature around 70°F and keep seed trays moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings typically emerge within 2 to 3 weeks.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when plants have developed their first true leaves. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days by exposing them to increasing periods of outdoor conditions. Plant at the same depth they were growing indoors, spacing 12 inches apart in full sun. Water well at transplanting and keep soil consistently moist for the first 2 to 3 weeks.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring after the last frost date, pressing them gently into prepared soil and keeping them moist until germination occurs. Seeds can also be sown in fall for spring germination.
Pruning
Deadhead spent flowers regularly during the blooming season to encourage continuous flowering and a tidier appearance. As an upright perennial, McKana Giant Columbine requires minimal pruning beyond removing dead or diseased foliage in early spring.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Scientific Classification
Aquilegia x hybrida
Growth Habit
Upright
History & Origin
“McKana Giant Columbine is a hybrid selection from Aquilegia x hybrida, bred to capture the most impressive traits of columbine species. The breeding focused on creating plants that produce the tallest stems and brightest, most vivid flowers, making McKana Giant one of the most showy cultivars available to home gardeners. The parent species draw from the temperate and shaded woodlands of Colorado, a heritage reflected in this variety's vigor and ability to thrive in gardens with similar climates.”