Aquilegia Crimson Star - Columbine

The 'Crimson Star' Columbine is an old variety, with deep red spurred flowers and cream-white corolla. It will please collectors and look stunning in flower beds! A truly easy and hardy perennial plant. The common Columbine is highly appreciated by gardeners, enchanted by its elegance, grace, rich palette of colours, and beautiful flowers with such unique shapes!

Aquilegia vulgaris, also known as Columbine, belongs to the buttercup family. A very hardy herbaceous perennial, the 'Crimson Star' Columbine forms a leafy, upright clump that is 30 cm (12in) wide, with long flowering stems branching upwards. Its deciduous bluish-green foliage is quite decorative, and the cut of the basal leaves gives a nice airy effect. From May to June, tall stems, up to 60 cm (24in), bear delicate and charming single flowers. They have long horned spurs coloured bright red, creating a beautiful bicolour contrast with the cream-white corolla.

Columbines contain toxic substances, especially the seeds, and the sap can cause burns on sensitive skin.

Columbines were already cultivated in the flower beds of the Middle Ages, and cottage gardens have perpetuated the tradition. Compact and unassuming, they are essential in mixed borders, where they will bring lightness. They can be planted in many areas of the garden, taking care to leave a 20 cm (8in) space around the base: in the middle of a perennial bed, in a border, at the base of bushes, on the edge of woodland or on a slope. They will look magnificent when planted in groups to create a dense clump. Pick them when they are just opening for beautiful country bouquets. In flower beds, 'Crimson Star' can be paired with low-growing perennials and perennials with decorative foliage like Hostas, tall perennials like Foxgloves, Bleeding Hearts, or Peach-leaved Bellflowers. Columbines easily self-sow in the garden, so leave a few flowering stems to produce seeds. Only keep the stems of the most vigorous plants as this process exhausts the plant and reduces its longevity, which is rather short for a perennial, 3 to 4 years. If you have several in your garden, you will probably see random hybridizations and see new colours emerge, and why not... a new variety?