Aquilegia viridiflora aka Aquilegia Viridiflora

Aquilegia viridiflora is also called green columbine. It belongs to the buttercup family. This small perennial can live for several years but may be short-lived. It comes from southern Siberia, northern China, and Japan. It grows in woods and valleys, on grassy slopes, and beside streams. The plant forms a low mound. Plants often stand about 1 foot (0.3 metres) tall and wide. Published height ranges reach 3 feet (0.9 metres). RHS gives an upper size band of 1.6 feet (0.5 metres).

Blue-green leaves form a mound below the flower stems. Each compound leaf has groups of three small leaflets. These have deep cuts, and soft hairs cover the leaf stalks. Leaves get smaller farther up the stems. Small flowers with a sweet scent hang above them in spring. Bloom lasts from April into early June. Each cluster has three to seven flowers. The sepals are greenish-yellow. The petals have spurs that point back. Their tips may shade into brownish red. RHS also notes pale green sepals with a purple flush. It describes deep purple petals and spurs.

Grow this plant in moist soil that drains well. Rich soil suits it, but average garden soil can work. Avoid heavy ground that holds too much water. It grows in full sun or part shade. Light filtered through leaves suits it. Light shade can help bloom last longer. Sources rate it for USDA zones 3–8 and UK hardiness H5. Cut off spent flower stems to help more flowers grow. Keep watering after bloom to help the leaves stay fresh. Cut the leaves down when they look worn in summer.

Its small mound suits rock gardens and the front of borders. It fits cottage gardens and open woodland beds, too. Groups can blend into beds with a wild look under patches of shade. You can cut the flowers, while the leaves give low cover. Deer and rabbits tend to leave the plant alone. You can grow new plants from seed. It may also seed itself where growing conditions suit it. You can divide plants in spring, but they may take time to recover.

Leaf miners, aphids, and columbine borers may attack this species. RHS lists caterpillars, gall midge, and aquilegia sawfly, too. Powdery mildew and aquilegia downy mildew can harm the leaves. Cut back leaves that show fungal disease. Missouri Botanical Garden reports no major pest or disease trouble overall. The supplied evidence for this species does not establish food uses. Nor does it establish whether the plant is toxic.