Awesome Aquilegia

Quite a number of plants have been featured as seasonal impressions on this blog. Some plants I love because they remind me of someone, like pansies remind me of my grandmother. And as such I have many favourites. But there is one plant that combines a graceful habit, shapely foliage, lovely dainty flowers with my favourite colours blue and violet: the Aquilegia or Columbine This genus of herbaceous plants in the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) from the northern hemisphere are poisonous, like the closely related Wolfbane or Monkshood (Aconitum). The plants and are therefore not eaten, except for some caterpillars that seem unaffected.  Both genera are characterised by specialised flowers. In the case of Aquilegia the petals are spurred with nectar hidden deep inside the flower. Petals and sepals can be the same colour, or have contrasting tones or colours. Breeders have also produced spurless types, but I don't see the point in taking away the charm of a plant (much like Bellflowers with flat rounded flowers instead of dangling bells).

Aquilegia vulgaris (left) is the common Columbine, indigenous in light moist woodland and along hedgerows in most of central Europe. It is at its most beautiful with dappled sunlight breaking through the canopy of trees above. My grandmother gave me some seed of this double variety A.v. "Plena' and I have it still in my garden. The violet blue flowers of the wild type also look great in a suburban garden (right).

This soft pink seedling combines beautifully with the lilac heads of the Ornamental union (Allium 'Globemaster') -left- but the deep plum purple variety -right- combines equally well. The total effect is remarkably different however. I especially love the textural contrast between the Aquilegia and the Allium. The spurred double Columbine (middle) is also known as grandmother's bonnets. These double forms come true from seed, but Aquilegias hybridise easily so the resulting plants can be spectacularly different from the parent plant.

The simple white Aquilegia lifts any lightly shaded spot (left). The plant with these soft carmine flowers is a seedling of the white ones. The American species have longer spurs and are often bicoloured. On the right an example of a hybrid seedling in white and violet descendant from Aquilegia caerulea.