Grow cottage garden favourite Aquilegia

Name-checked by Shakespeare, aquilegias have been grown here for centuries, but they’re under threat. Louise Curley reveals how to keep these beautiful blooms healthy

- Louise Curley

HISTORICALLY, aquilegias – also known as columbines – have attracted some pretty impressive fans. They were mentioned in works by both Chaucer and Shakespeare, and their delicate beauty was captured in the still life paintings of Dutch Masters such as the 18th century artist Rachel Ruysch.

Gardeners, too, have long been drawn to these herbaceous perennials – not just because they flower in the tricky gap between bulbs and summer perennials, but also because of their diversity. Thanks to their tendency to interbreed, there are single aquilegias and frilly doubles, scented ones, those with long spurs and those without – and every colour is represented.

The spurs, which make the flowers look so distinctive, are elongated petals that store nectar. Thought to look like eagles’ talons, they are responsible for the name aquilegia, which comes from the Latin aquila, meaning eagle.

The plants’ eagerness to crosspollinate has both positive and negative effects. On the downside, you’re never sure what the offspring will look like (they often turn out to be muddy tones of white or pink), while the upside is that it can throw up some spectacular results. The stellata types rarely hybridise, so if you prefer to remove the element of chance, these are the ones to go for. And you’ll get plenty of them as aquilegia are prolific self-seeders. This can be a nuisance, so if you don’t want them everywhere it’s a good idea to remove the faded flower heads.

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Disease threat