Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Clementine Dark Purple’ (Columbine)

Resembling Clematis flowers, Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Clementine Dark Purple’ is a very pretty Columbine with its bouquets of spurless double purple flowers facing upwards for a perfect display (1.5 in. wide or 4 cm). Rising with natural grace above a compact, ferny foliage of blue-green leaves, this perennial blooms profusely for up to 4-6 weeks from late spring to early summer.

‘Clementine Dark Purple’ is a cultivar of the Clementine Series, which is noted for being short, compact with spurless flowers, and perfectly suited for pots and containers. Other Clementine varieties include Aquilegia ‘Clementine Blue’, Aquilegia ‘Clementine Salmon Rose’, Aquilegia ‘Clementine Red’ and Aquilegia ‘Clementine White’. They all are lovely additions to the shade garden!

• Grows in a bushy, upright clump up to 14-16 in. high (35-40 cm) and spreads 12-14 in. (3-35 cm). This perennial is generally short-lived but will self-seed prolifically to form large colonies in satisfactory growing conditions.
• Performs best in full sun to part shade, in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Seriously dislikes poorly drained soils! Rich, moist soils in part shade are preferred. Do not let the soil dry out.
  • Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, but is ignored by rabbits and deer!
  • Easy to grow, this plant is a welcomed addition to beds, borders, rock gardens, cottage gardens, shade gardens, or naturalized areas. Excellent cut flowers lasting up to 2 weeks in a vase!
  • Susceptible to leaf miner.
  • May be grown from seed sown directly in the garden in spring (after the danger of frost has passed). Division is possible in spring, but it may take some time for the plant to recover.
  • Remove faded flowering stems to promote additional bloom. Cut to the ground when the foliage declines (around midsummer).
  • Contact with the sap may irritate the skin

Aquilegia is a genus of clump-forming, short-lived perennials noted for their late spring to midsummer blooms of single or double, short-spurred or spurless flowers, in a variety of colors ranging from blue to violet to white to pink to red. A classic element of herbaceous borders, Columbines mix beautifully with peonies, irises, alliums, and roses.