About
This upright perennial reaches heights of up to 90 cm and features grey-green, divided foliage. In early spring and summer, it produces unique, pompon-shaped flowers in a deep purple hue.
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
- South-facing, North-facing, East-facing, West-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
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade
- Pruning
- Cut back foliage affected by fungal diseases
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame as soon as seed is ripe or in spring. It can also be propagated by division in spring but the plant will be slow to recover
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids, leaf miners, sawflies and caterpillars
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew