Remembrance® Columbine
Aquilegia 'Swan Violet & White'
Plant Height: 18 inches
Flower Height: 24 inches
Spacing: 16 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3a
Other Names: Granny's Bonnet, Crowfoot
Brand: Plant Select
Description:
Rich, shining, violet-blue and white flowers on graceful stems, excellent for attracting wildlife; relatively carefree, and an important addition to any woodland or shade garden; name honors the memory of students and teacher lost at Columbine High School
Ornamental Features
Remembrance® Columbine features showy nodding violet bell-shaped flowers with white overtones, yellow eyes and violet spurs at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its ferny compound leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Remembrance® Columbine is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
- Insects
Remembrance® Columbine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Remembrance® Columbine will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 16 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Remembrance® Columbine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.