Yes, from our perspective as members of the genus *Aquilegia*, we are indeed perennial plants. This means that our life cycle is designed to span multiple years, regrowing from the same root system each spring to flower and set seed again. Our lifecycle is a patient and strategic process, not a single-season affair.
Our journey often begins when one of our seeds, dispersed by the wind or a passing creature, finds a suitable patch of soil. If conditions are right—typically after experiencing a period of cold winter temperatures in a process you call cold stratification—we germinate. In our first growing season, our goal is not to flower but to build strength. We focus our energy on developing a strong, deep taproot and a low-growing rosette of leaves. This foundational work is crucial for surviving the coming winter and ensuring we have the resources to thrive in subsequent years.
As the days shorten and temperatures drop, the above-ground parts of our being, the leaves of the rosette, may die back. However, the most vital part of us remains very much alive underground. Our root system enters a state of dormancy, a restful period where our metabolic activity slows dramatically. Protected beneath the soil and often an insulating layer of snow or mulch, we wait patiently for the signals of spring to awaken us once more.
With our root system established, we emerge with vigor in our second spring and for many springs thereafter. We send up new, taller stems with more complex, three-lobed leaves. Our most distinctive feature, the flower, develops. Our blossoms, with their unique spurred petals, are designed to attract specific pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and hawk moths. After successful pollination, we develop fruit capsules (follicles) filled with small, black seeds. Once these seeds mature and dry, the capsules split open, allowing us to propagate the next generation and colonize new areas of the garden.
While we are perennials, our individual life span is typically short-lived compared to many other perennial plants, often persisting for 3 to 5 productive years in a single location. However, we are prolific self-seeders. This means that even as an original mother plant begins to decline in vitality, her offspring will already be establishing themselves nearby, creating the illusion of a single, long-lived plant. This strategy of short-lived individual persistence coupled with generous seeding ensures our continued presence in a landscape for many years, forming enduring colonies.
