Topic: Aquilegia - Columbine - Granny's Bonnet

[galina]

Shortly after we moved here a blue Aquilegia arrived.  I found a pink one by the side of the road and when it developed seeds, I sowed some here in the garden.  Then my daughter gave me a packet of frilly aquilegia that were red and white.

All the original types are still there, but they have also crossed with each other and produced the most amazing combinations.  Last year a pure white one appeared. 

I love Aquilegias and they look fab at the moment.  A few pictures.   

[Silverleaf]

I like them too! I have a purple one that was here when we moved in, and I just bought myself a fancy double one in a dark berry colour. I don't really like double flowers but I loved the colour.

I really should get a few more, it would be so interesting to see how they combine!

[Debs]

Beautiful pics!
I only have the common purple one but yours are lovely!
Do they come true from seed?
I will have to get some more

Debs 

[goodlife]

Another one here who loves them 
And yours look so lovely..I can see they are  growing near/amongst your chard?
Although they do self seed them selves all over the place, I don't find them trouble some..never really a plant that will be too much competition for others.
They remind me my gran's place...she had band near house that had Aquilegia growing all over the place with happy marriage with forget-me-not flowers and they came up year after year. Combination that I'm slowly building up in one area at the back of my house on the lane. F-m-N are already established themselves but Aquilegia's are slowly to come..bit too much challenge there from other plants..but they are not living far now...only few metres from neighbours area and I'll be having some too..I would not be surprised to see some new plants appearing next year..

[galina]

Ah there is a club of Aquilegia lovers!  Yes they are so pretty and entirely undemanding too.  I leave the seedheads until they rattle and then either save for other people, or break them off and just shake the contents.  But the plants themselves must be growing for several years too, for example the frilly white one first appeared last year and came back in the same spot this year.  I doubt the crossed ones come back true from seed.  But the original types are still there too, so there must be true breeding as well as crossing happening.  It all started with 3 different types.  If you get another type, Debs, I am sure this will happen for you as well. 

I loosely follow the lines of Geoff Hamilton's ornamental kitchen gardening.  Our garden is long and thin.  The growing area is divided into 3 large beds with semi circular paths between them to break up the straight lines a bit.  On the outside of the beds, along the paths I have flowering bushes, roses, flowering plants etc and on the inside of those I have the veg.  There are  a few flowers on the inside as well, such as tall hollyhocks.  It is a garden, not just an allotment that happens to be located in a garden.  Therefore pretty flowers are required and it makes good sense for attracting insects too.  Something is always in flower, but Aquilegia time is special every year.  And yes, these particular ones are growing next to the chard, Goodlife.  This patch had beans in it last year, with tiny chard plants inbetween.  Over winter the chard grew and took over all the growing space.  Currently being harvested rapidly to make room for squashes. 

I agree with you, Silverleaf.  My favourite is the single pink one.  But the combinations have their own special attractions.     

[galina]

Ah there is a club of Aquilegia lovers!  Yes they are so pretty and entirely undemanding too.  I leave the seedheads until they rattle and then either save for other people, or break them off and just shake the contents.  But the plants themselves must be growing for several years too, for example the frilly white one first appeared last year and came back in the same spot this year.  I doubt the crossed ones come back true from seed.  But the original types are still there too, so there must be true breeding as well as crossing happening.  It all started with 3 different types.  If you get another type, Debs, I am sure this will happen for you as well. 

I loosely follow the lines of Geoff Hamilton's ornamental kitchen gardening.  Our garden is long and thin.  The growing area is divided into 3 large beds with semi circular paths between them to break up the straight lines a bit.  On the outside of the beds, along the paths I have flowering bushes, roses, flowering plants etc and on the inside of those I have the veg.  There are  a few flowers on the inside as well, such as tall hollyhocks.  It is a garden, not just an allotment that happens to be located in a garden.  Therefore pretty flowers are required and it makes good sense for attracting insects too.  Something is always in flower, but Aquilegia time is special every year.  And yes, these particular ones are growing next to the chard, Goodlife.  This patch had beans in it last year, with tiny chard plants inbetween.  Over winter the chard grew and took over all the growing space.  Currently being harvested rapidly to make room for squashes. 

I agree with you, Silverleaf.  My favourite is the single pink one.  But the combinations have their own special charm.     

[Jayb]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing. They are one of my favourites too  I love them because they are just so pretty and a lovely easy plant to grow with no hassles.

[caroline7758]

I just spotted a red one that has appeared in my garden.  :happy7:They are self-seeding all over and I love them for it!

[Tee Gee]

Galina said: they have also crossed with each other and produced the most amazing combinations.

Yes I am in the same boat I find they are a very promiscuous lot are Aquilegias.

A few years ago I sowed and planted out some McKenna hybrids and they are all but gone now, could only find one of the originals when I had a look this afternoon, the rest are from saved seed or self seeders.

This is one of the originals which I saw a number of Sparrows pecking at yesterday:



These are some my current stock of plants:

























As I was taking the above pictures I  noticed my Lily of the Valley & Paeony is in bloom

[galina]

Tee Gee, they are lovely and your photography is just so much better than mine. 

Pity your original are going down in numbers.  Wonder why?  Time to save those seeds and hope that they come true.  Re-reading you said McKenna Hybrids, so they probably won't in any case.  Your picture #4 has definite similarly with the Mckenna type.  If you only allow seed of #1 and #4, I hope you can get more of the bicolour type back.