Aquilegia vulgaris 'Nivea'
granny's bonnet
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- Standard £5.95
This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.
- Position: Full sun or partial shade
- Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Average to fast
- Flowering: May to June
- Hardiness: Fully hardy
Mounds of divided, pale green leaves are topped with upright, branching stems bearing nodding, short-spurred, pure white flowers in early summer. ‘Nivea’ is a pretty columbine, and looks wonderful when planted in drifts in a cottage garden themed display. This ‘Granny’s Bonnet’ will happily self-seed to form generous clumps alongside other early summer perennials such as Paeonia, Digitalis, and Allium.
Lift and divide large clumps in early spring and apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost around the plant. Divided specimens may take some time to establish since they don't like having their roots disturbed. Deadhead to prolong flowering.
In autumn, surface-sow on moist compost in small pots or seed trays and keep them in a greenhouse or cold frame at 15 to 20°C. Germination can be slow (up to 3 months) but seedlings should be thinned out as they grow on and over-wintered under glass before planting out after hardening off in spring. Alternatively, spring sowing can be undertaken as before, often without the need for heat.