Aquilegia vulgaris 'Dorothy Rose'

GRANNY'S BONNET, COLUMBINE
syn. N/A
Family: Ranunculaceae
Pronounced: ack-wi-LEE-gee-uh vul-GAR-iss

 

Quick Jumps

Growing Guide
Rainy Side Notes

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GROWING GUIDE

Origin:
Garden
Plant Group:
Perennial.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: A2, A3, 1-10, 14-24.
USDA zones: 3-8.
Heat zones: 8-1.
Mature size:
Height: 36 inches (90 cm).
Width: 18 inches (45 cm).
Flowering period:
Late spring to early summer.
Flowering attributes:
Soft pink pendant, spurless flowers on racemes. Tepals are pink.
Leaf attributes:
Mid-green, two ternate leaves with lobed leaflets.
Light:
Full sun to partial shade.
Soil:
Fertile, moist, well-drained soil.
Feeding:
Add a complete organic fertilizer when planting and in spring when new growth begins.
Propagation Methods:
Sow seed in containers as soon as ripe. Place in cold frame for winter.
Pruning Methods:
Dead head spent flowers to prolong bloom. When the flush of flowers are over, cut the plants down to the ground to rejuvenate them. The columbine's new growth is fresh and green the rest of the season.
Pests and Diseases:
Powdery mildew and rust may be problems during dry summers. Caterpillars, aphids and leaf miners can also be problems. In spring, leaf miners tunnel through the surface of the leaves, leaving unsightly foliage. To remedy this, cut the whole plant down to the ground after they finish flowering. The leaf miner larvae are gone by the time the second new growth begins.

 

Rainy Side Notes

When this plant first began to flower in my garden, I thought it was a chance seedling. Turns out I bought this columbine at a plant sale according to my records. I don't remember planting it, so it may have been a spur of the moment planting to get it in the ground, since it didn't end up in my location records. Nevertheless, the chartreuse foliage of Cupressus macrocarpa 'Wilma Goldcrest' behind the columbine is a fantastic backdrop, which sets off the comely, double pink flowers. I must have planned it! HA!

I love its common name — Granny Bonnets, even though I think it looks more like a pleated skirt. These old-fashioned flowers are lovely in a children's garden or a cutting garden.

When they finish flowering cut the whole plant to the ground. The foliage will come back as a quiet mound of green the rest of the season. If you want to collect seed, don't prune the plant. Harvest seeds after the pods turn brown.

Photographed in author's garden.

More Aquilegias.

Additional Reading

COLUMBINES Aquilegia, Paraquilegia and Semiaquilegia by Robert Nold.

Christopher Lloyd's Garden Flowers: Perennials, Bulbs, Grasses, Ferns by Christopher Lloyd.