Aquilegia vulgaris Clementine Blue - Columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Clementine Blue', also known as hybrid Common Columbine, displays open, highly double flowers in a blue-violet shade, reminiscent of clematis blooms. It belongs to a new series of compact cultivars with unique flowers, particularly suitable for container planting. This hardy herbaceous perennial blooms from spring until the end of summer. This unassuming plant is incredibly easy to grow in any soil, requiring no special care, and readily naturalizes in rockeries and borders.

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Clementine Blue' belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. It is a cultivar derived from Aquilegia vulgaris (or clematiflora), native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, where it grows in clearings, meadows, and deciduous wood clearings. This hardy herbaceous perennial forms a compact, upright clump, reaching a height of 30 cm (12in) and a width of 35 cm (14in). It has abundant foliage, from which tall flower stems rise upwards. From May to June-July, up to 40 cm (16in) tall stems bear charming, fully double flowers. Unlike the flowers of other columbines, they lack long horned spurs and the corollas open widely towards the sky, revealing a white to pale yellow throat with white stamens. Its deciduous blue-green foliage is quite decorative, and the divided leaves give a sense of lightness.

Columbines were already cultivated in flower beds in the Middle Ages, and cottage gardens have preserved this tradition. Compact and discreet, they are essential in mixed borders, where they bring lightness. The Clementine series, shorter and highly floriferous, thrives in containers. They can also be planted in numerous areas of the garden, with a space of 20 cm (8in) around each plant: in the middle of a perennial bed, in a border, at the base of bushes, along woodland edges, or on a slope. They look stunning when planted in groups to create dense clumps. Pick them just as they begin to open for beautiful wildflower bouquets. In flower beds, in a cottage garden style, 'Clementine Blue' can be paired with various perennials, such as Foxgloves, Bleeding Hearts, or Peach-Leaved Bellflowers.