Aquilegia Early Bird White F1

Bred in Costa Rica, this exciting new series of Aquilegia are more compact than other modern hybrids available today growing to around 9-11” tall and blooming profusely on short stems with neat mounding foliage. Added to that, the beauty of this series is that the seeds don't require a long period of cold conditions for germination to take place.

Early Bird White is so charming in its simplicity and will be a useful new addition much admired in trials. 9-11”. HP.

How to Grow Aquilegia from Seed

Aquilegia, also known as Columbine or Granny Bonnet, are spring flowering, old fashioned, cottage garden favourites. Compact varieties make great rockery plants while taller varieties sit well among shrubs or in the dappled shade of an open woodland setting. Aquilegias love deep, rich, well-drained soil.

Aquilegia seed can be direct sown into the garden in autumn or started indoor in pots from January to April or August to September.

To sow Columbine seed outside, choose a cooler part of the garden benefiting from dappled shade and sprinkle the seeds straight onto the soil in late-summer. These will germinate by the following spring.

To start Aquilegia seeds indoors, sow the medium-sized seed onto the surface of a moist, free-draining seed compost into plug trays to prevent root disturbance later. Cover the seeds lightly with vermiculite, and cover the trays with polythene to retain moisture until the first seedlings appear. Germination normally takes up to 21 days at 18-21oC.

Move the young plants on into 9 or 10cm pots once they are large enough to handle. Grow on until they are nicely established under shading if possible. Foliage dies back in the Winter, then attractive pale green new foliage appears in the Spring. Ideally keep the plants overwintered under cover, on the dry side to prevent rotting but avoid allowing the pots to completely dry out.