Granny's Bonnets: Growing, Caring for, and Battling Pests and Diseases in Aquilegias 💐
Cultivating Aquilegias: A Comprehensive Guide
Embellish your garden with the captivating charms of Aquilegias, colloquially known as columbines or granny's bonnets. These traditional cottage garden perennials are native to the UK, boasting striking, nodding flowers in shades of purple or white, although a plethora of vibrant hues can be found in hybrid cultivars. Enjoy them from May to June, and get ready for a dazzling display! 🌷
Planting and Growing Granny's Bonnets
Originally found at the woodland edge, Aquilegias thrive best in partial shade and a fertile, moist but well-drained soil. They're a perfect fit for woodland borders and cottage gardens, where they can be planted alongside other naturalistic flowers like love-in-a-mist and hardy geraniums. With notorious self-seeding tendencies, bear in mind the potential for a bountiful crop if gardening space is limited, or you prefer a low-maintenance garden routine 🌱
Timing is Everything
For the best results, sow Aquilegia seed between January and May in trays of moist, peat-free seed compost, to be planted out once they're large enough to handle. Alternatively, buy pot-grown Aquilegias and plant them out in spring or autumn 👩🌾
Caring for Granny's Bonnets
Once your Aquilegias are well-established, they require minimal attention. For a brilliant foliage display, cut back their summer growth in September to witness a late burst of new leaves that will carry you through winter.
You can choose to deadhead spent flowers as they emerge, cutting back the entire flowering stem to encourage new growth, or let the seeds develop for future generations, should you wish! It's important to note that Aquilegias can be prolific self-seeders 🌌
For optimal plant growth, lift and divide them every few years to produce stronger, healthier plants and boost their flowering potential. Pro tip: This may cause them to take a year off flowering, so timing is key! 🌟
Propagating Granny's Bonnets
Aquilegias are self-seeders, but if you wish to collect seeds for planting, wait until the pods have dried on the stem, then gently place them in a paper bag to capture them once released. Save the seeds and sow them in spring!
To propagate Aquilegias by division, lift the roots in early spring, carefully separating them to create new plants. Be gentle with these delicate plants to minimize impact and potential flowering loss 🌱
Common Pests and Diseases in Aquilegias
Pests
Aphids 🐜
These pesky little sap-suckers can be challenging to manage, so prompt intervention is crucial to prevent significant damage. Keep a close eye on your Aquilegias for early warning signs.
To control aphids, employ insecticidal soap or neem oil sprays that are gentle on beneficial insects. Encourage natural predators like ladybirds (ladybugs) and lacewings. Physical removal is another option: use water or a leaf wiping technique to dispatch pests 💦
Mullein Moth Caterpillars 🐛
Though primarily noted on verbascums, similar leaf-chewing caterpillars might occasionally feast on Aquilegias. Manual removal is the simplest solution: just pick them off by hand 🤝
Geranium Sawfly Larvae 🐛
While not specifically known to attack Aquilegias, related garden plants like geraniums often become targets for sawfly larvae. Be aware of potential related pests in a mixed garden 🌱
Diseases
Downy Mildew (Peronospora aquilegiicola) 🦠
It's crucial to recognize and address the threat of Downy Mildew, a major disease affecting Aquilegias with no natural resistance. This pathogen can wreak havoc on collections, like the British National Collection, causing entire plant deaths 😵💫
Manage this disease by avoiding overhead watering and promoting good air circulation through proper spacing. Additionally, remove and destroy infected plant material to slow the spread. Fungicides can provide protection, but careful selection of resistant varieties is the ultimate solution 🌱
Top Aquilegia Varieties to Grow 🌺
Explore the rich variety of Aquilegia cultivars available, each boasting unique flower colors and appearances 🌷
- Aquilegia vulgaris 'Lime Sorbet' – pale limey-white double flowers
- Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata 'Nora Barlow' – one of the oldest varieties, featuring pink, green, and white petals
- Aquilegia alpina – an alpine variety with bright blue flowers, reaching up to 80cm tall
- Aquilegia fragrans – interestingly, this species Aquilegia comes with a pineapple scent!
- Aquilegia viridiflora – a rare species Aquilegia, characterized by chocolate-colored flowers with long spurs 💡
Gardening enthusiasts often expand their home-and-garden universe by incorporating diverse plants, such as the Aquilegia, into their home-and-garden layout, particularly within cottage gardens. The planting and growing of Aquilegias, often called columbines or granny's bonnets, thrive best in partial shade and a fertile, moist but well-drained soil.
