aquilegia....aren't they wonderful?

[Earthymama]

Aquilegia are my absolute favourite flowers. They are so delicate and fairy-like. I'm trying to get as many varieties as I can. I bought a red one at the Farmers Market on friday and was given a piece of the really old-fashioned blue one.
They remind me of my nan's garden, a real cottage garden with a higgle piggle of fruit and veg!
Would anyone like to do a seed swop? lots of pictures

One of my favourites too. My mum has loads in her garden. I do know that aquilegia will cross pollinate very easily, so what starts off as a beautiful blue - could end up pink or lilac next year!! Still I'd be happy to swop seeds - I have some yellow and pink ones which I'm planting later this week.

Remind me of my Nan's garden too. My Nan lived til she was 89 and kept a beautiful cottage garden until she had to go into a nursing home.
I have such happy memories of playing in her garden, making perfume from rose petals and water.
Happy Days !
Aquilegia are like fairies and I think they are just magical

At the last count I have:-
White, double and single deep blue, several pink ones, and a pink and yellow one that is divine! I've just planted the new red one so may not see much this year.
The heavy rain has given them a battering but I hope they'll perk up when the weather improves.
On the allotment I intend to have a bed for flowers and I'm going to include Aquilegia in a cottage bed and then I'll try some other theme in the other. Have you seen cerinthe, it's so gorgeous?

I love these too. I have two double flower varieties, dark purple and dusky pink and a shorter normal white one .
Would also like to seed swop.

i was talking about these today! they just appear and are such things of beauty

Are they the same thing as columbine?

Thank you Earthymama - I was wondering what the blue flowers in a rockery near my work were -I think they must be Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila I think I'll try & get some for my rockery.

Actually I'm thinking of adopting flabellata as an MN name - it sounds all too apt for me......

There's something just so lovely about anything that just magically appears all over your garden without being asked
I'd be up for a seed swap, if collected seeds from rather dull common-or-garden pinky/pupley/bluey ones are of interest to anyone at all?!

Yes, they are columbine, Arriety - they are v beautiful. We used to have some in different colours but eventually they all came out yellow and pink, which was sad.

Lets all do this, even if they all revert it won't matter, we'll know they are MN blossoms, won't we?

I call mine columbimes too actually. My MIL has some in her garden will see what colours and let you all know.

I've got a beautiful lilac coloured one in my front garden. It appeared between the tarmac and gravel on my driveway so I can't move it.
So I'll wait until the autumn for the seeds

Hi, did anyone see Gardeners' World? There was a warning about the
'Aquilega Sawfly'
I thought I'd warn you all, though mine are so battered by the wind and rain that I probably wouldn't notice.

mine look fab atm - one savaged last year by sawfly but is slowly... recovering from one left this year I talk to it
it is lovely
Mine that is up and flowering is deep purple with white inside

One dissenting voice - I'm not that fond of them. They tend to self-seed then revert so you get a very wishywashy pale lilac.

For those who say they remind them of their grandmothers - they are called 'Granny's bonnets' in Scotland.

I saw some wild ones this morning whilst riding round an old reclaimed pit near us. They were at the side of a lake in huge numbers. The outer petals were a very rich dark burgundy and the inside ones cream. They were so stunning. I'll get some seeds for myself next year.

But merlotmama then you get a chance to buy new ones!
Each to their own, what's your fave?