About
Aquilegia 'Petticoats' is a short-lived perennial that forms a compact mound of bluish-green foliage, characterized by its rounded leaflets. The plant features tall, upright stems reaching up to 90 cm, which bear nodding flowers. These blooms can be single or double, with very short spurs, and come in various hues including white, pink, red, and purple, along with bicolored variations. Flowering occurs from late spring through mid-summer.
About the genus
Aquilegia consists of herbaceous perennials that grow in clumps, characterized by their long-stemmed, three-parted basal leaves. The upright, leafy stems support bell-shaped blooms featuring wide-spreading sepals and petals that possess spurs, all arranged on branched stalks.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. See aquilegia cultivation
- Pruning
- To encourage more flowers (and prevent self-seeding) deadhead regularly. Cut back foliage after flowering to promote fresh growth in late summer
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed; home-saved seed may not come true. Established plants can also be propagated by division in spring, but they dislike root disturbance and will be slow to recover
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, leaf miners, aquilegia gall midge and aquilegia sawfly
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew