About
This upright perennial reaches a height of up to 75 cm, featuring finely divided leaves. Its flowers measure around 5 cm in diameter, displaying deep maroon-purple sepals paired with white petals. The petals are accented by deep purple spurs that curl at their tips.
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, West-facing, East-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
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-mining flies and sawflies
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew