Aquilegia alpina Columbine, Granny’s Bonnets

30cm
Planting position: Full sun to semi-shade.
Wind-protected spot.
Well-draining, compost-enriched and slightly alkaline soil.
Suitable for all growing areas without humidity or drought.
Watch out for fungal diseases (humid areas), aphids and leaf miners.
Requires regular spring and summer watering.
Moist, compost-enriched soil.
Two-weekly applications of liquid fertiliser during flowering period.
Watch out for fungal diseased, aphids and leaf miners.
Propagate from seed or division.

The columbine is fast growing and bears plain blue, or blue and white spring and summer flowers. These herbaceous perennials’ flowers are held on wiry stems above rosettes of grey-green leaves. The funnel-shaped blooms are richly blue or blue- and white, spurred prominently on each petal.
A. flabellatta ‘Mini Star’ (20cm) has blue flowers with short spurs and white corollas.
A. vulgaris (60cm) is spring flowering in shades of purple, lavender, pink, white and yellow.