About
The wild form typically exhibits blue flowers that hang downward, resembling bonnets. Over time, various cultivated varieties have emerged, showcasing colors such as purple, mauve, pink, and white.
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
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens, Wildflower meadow
- Native to
- W, C&S Europe
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade
- Pruning
- Cut back after flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in spring, late summer or early autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew