SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Prefers light shade and humus-rich, well-drained soil. Will tolerate full sun where summers are cool and plants can be kept watered. Columbines used to be extensively used in times of Chaucer and Shakespeare as garnishes for food and as ingredients in medicines. Their use stopped, according to Linnaeus, when one too many children died from excessive intake. It is not used today. Aquilegia is mentioned often in literature under its common name, Columbine. Both Chaucer and Shakespeare write about the plant. It was used as a garnish for food and as medicine. As the leaves are toxic this is certainly not recommended. To promote optimum stress protection in transit and your success in the garden, bareroot perennials are Columbines grow in a wide variety of soil types providing they don’t get too dry or too wet in winter. They will grow in full sun or part shade. One of their chief requirements is that do not get too crowded in. allow them some air around the crown and see that other plants don’t flop over the top of them. They are not terribly long lived, but will seed themselves around in areas they are happy.

Remove faded flowering stems to promote additional bloom. Cut to the ground when the foliage declines (around mid-summer). Aquilegias are not prone to many pests. The leaves are poisonous so many species will not eat them. Even slugs and snails won’t touch the leaves, though they may occasionally eat the non-poisonous flowers, especially of large white varieties. Leaf miners and aquilegia sawfly can sometimes be a problem. The plant thrives in USDA zones 10 to 11 but in cooler regions it can survive in microclimates or in protected situations with some extra care in case of freezing temperatures. Seeds can be sown directly in their final flowering position throughout spring. If possible, get some seeds from a friend or fellow gardener as the seeds have a short period of viability meaning commercial seeds sometimes fail to germinate. Failing this, you can buy some plants and then scatter the seeds once they have flowered to generate more plants. You may also get different colour combinations and types due to your plants being cross-pollinated with neighbouring plants. In addition, recessive genes in these hybrids can come to the fore in self-seeded plants.This is a cottage garden favourite and provides an abundant display of long, spurred, red and yellow flowers in late spring. It prefers full sun and will reach a height of 80cm (31 inches). It was one of the badges of the House of Lancaster. Aquilegia caerulea, with its blue and white flowers, is the state flower of Colorado. They are happy in either. Sometimes the white forms can work particularly well to brighten up a dark corner. Once the plant is mature, pink petticoat plant care is minimal with the exception of pruning to prevent overtaking of the garden space, occasional watering in summer, and feeding in early spring. There are many varieties of aquilegia in different colours and heights. Some varieties prefer full sun and some like more shade. This means there is a suitable aquilegia for every position in the garden. Many varieties have distinctive long spurs on their flowers. The leaves are harmful if eaten.

Performs best in full sunto part shade, in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Seriously dislikes poorly drained soils! Rich, moist soilsin part shadeare preferred. Do not let the soil dry out. Intense, violet-blue, fully double flowers are a rare sight in late spring and early summer—but this is just what Aquilegia 'Blue Barlow' gives you. The deep blue sepals make a vibrant contrast to the yellow stamens in the centre of the slightly nodding, almost pompom-like flowers. The dense, spiky petals are held in place, not unlike an eagle’s claw—hence the name Aquilegia ( aquila is eagle in Latin). Symptoms include lighter yellowy patches on leaves, leaves disintegrating, new shoots that are lighter in colour and leaves that are smaller and often deformed. There may also be brown patches on leaves and stems. May be grown from seed sown directly in the garden in spring (after the danger of frost has passed). Division is possible in spring, but it may take some time for the plant to recover. This is a spurless variety with deep, maroon flowers that look wonderful with the bright green foliage. It prefers light shade and grows to around 90cm (35 inches) tall. Aquilegia ‘Ruby Port’Aquilegia gets its name from the Latin ‘aquila’ meaning eagle. This is a reference to the shape of the flowers, which have curved spurs reminiscent of an eagle’s talons. Interestingly the common name, Columbine, also comes from a bird, this time the dove. It is true that the flowers do look a little like birds with their wing-like petals and arching spurs. Yes, they do, so if you want to make sure your varieties aren’t diluted out by various coloured offspring then remove the seed heads before they drop their seed. This double flower resembles a frilly petticoat. It is cerise at the base and white at the petal tips. A gorgeous addition to an old-fashioned cottage garden, this is a shorter variety growing to a maximum height of 60cm (23 inches). With rose pink flowers and a white corolla, this long spurred variety has many branched flowering stems that reach 80cm (31 inches). It flowers from May to June.