Songbird Mix Columbine

Songbird Mix is a seed-raised columbine blend with varied, upward-facing flowers in blue, lavender, red, yellow, white and bicolor combinations. It brings a changing spring display to borders and cottage gardens, with color and size differing among plants. ## Flowers and placement The [Songbird Mix listing from Sooner Plant Farm](https://soonerplantfarm.com/plant/columbine-songbird-mix) gives a height of 18–30 inches, spread of 12–18 inches and zones 3–9; it lists blue, red, yellow and white among the flower colors and notes bee, butterfly and hummingbird visitation. [Emerald Coast Growers](https://ecgrowers.com/blog/some-like-it-cool-aquilegia-/) also identifies pink and bicolor flowers in Songbird Mix. [PanAmerican Seed’s Songbird series catalog](https://www.panamseed.com/PdfAssets/pdfpage.aspx?pdfid=130) describes free-flowering, medium-compact plants with 1.5–3.5 inch blooms, late-spring and early-summer garden color, and size ranges that vary by variety. A mixed planting should not be expected to have a uniform color or exact height. The [RHS genus guide](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/aquilegia) describes divided foliage and flowers in several colors, generally in late spring and early summer, with a preference for sunny or semi-shaded sites where soil does not dry out in summer. Plant where the mix can be appreciated among other spring perennials. Moist but freely draining soil supports growth; avoid waterlogged spots. Self-sown seedlings can add further variation. ## Maintenance Water regularly while plants establish and during dry periods. Remove spent stems to limit unwanted seedlings or keep the border tidy, then cut back declining foliage after flowering. Columbines are often short-lived, so allow some seedlings to replace older plants if a continuing display is desired.