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Herbaceous Perennial

Aquilegia Spring Magic Series

columbine spring magic series

Compact, clump-forming, short-lived, herbaceous perennials to 40cm producing a basal mound of divided, blue-green leaves. Nodding, short-spurred flowers appear in late spring and early summer in a range of colours including yellow, white and bicolours with shades of purple, pink and red

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Ranunculaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Aquilegia are clump-forming herbaceous perennials with long-stalked, ternately divided basal leaves and erect, leafy stems bearing bell-shaped flowers with spreading, coloured sepals and petals with spurs, on branched stems
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. See aquilegia cultivation

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

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Wildlife gardens
Flower borders and beds
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

To encourage more flowers (and prevent self-seeding) deadhead regularly. Cut back foliage after flowering to promote fresh growth in late summer

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, leaf miners, aquilegia gall midge and aquilegia sawfly

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews and aquilegia downy mildew

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