Aquilegia Miss M. I. Huish Seeds - Columbine

Aquilegia 'Miss M. I. Huish' is an unusual variety that produces clusters of dark purple, fully double clematis-like blooms on sturdy stems from spring to early summer. Very hardy and easy to grow, this undemanding perennial self-seeds happily – perfect for informal rock gardens and shady borders.

Aquilegia, commonly known as Columbine or Granny’s Bonnet, belongs to the Buttercup or Ranunculaceae family. 'Miss M. I. Huish' is a cultivar selected from Aquilegia vulgaris (or clematiflora), a species that occurs naturally in open woodlands, clearings, meadows, rocky slopes and roadside banks of North America, Europe and temperate Asia. It forms upright, bushy clumps that grow to a height of 60 cm in full bloom, for a width of about 30 cm. From May to June, charming spurless, fully double flowers emerge at the tip of long, sturdy, branched stems. The corolla ages from purplish black to deep violet. The deciduous bluish-green to dark green leaves have a lacy, delicate, clover-like appearance. Aquilegias are short-lived perennials; flowering generally reaches its peak after 2 or 3 years of cultivation. Although they self-seed easily, they are not always true to type when different varieties of columbine are grown in close proximity.

Columbines have been popular ornamental garden plants since the Middle Ages. They will fit in just about anywhere, bringing a discreet lightness and fantasy to mixed borders and perennial beds; they are ideal for underplanting shrubs and trees, growing up slopes or decorating shady rock gardens. They are excellent cut flowers. In old-fashioned cottage style gardens, columbines combine well with perennials such as foxgloves, bellflowers, wood cranesbill, bleeding hearts or lady’s mantle.