In keeping with our on-going endeavors to bring you the very best of the world's greatest plant introductions, we have the pleasure of featuring Aquilegia Clementine, an exciting new series of columbines.
The Clementine Series is the culmination of years of intensive breeding and carefully dedicated hybridizing, resulting in an awarding winning series and completely new generation of columbines, or Granny's bonnets, as they are sometimes called.
Gone are the days of the tall, lanky columbines that leaned out from the back of beds to display their downward facing flowers. In the Clementine series, we have short, bushy, compact plants with masses of double and semi-double, upward facing flowers. Nice as the old style ones are, this is a breeding breakthrough that has real "flower power": a compact, "no need to stake" habit; and a range of colors allowing us to give our gardens a lively burst of refreshing vibrancy, at a time of year when the weather conditions can be unpredictable.
Just one look and you can't help but notice the resemblance to double flowered clematis. They also remind me of miniature versions of those big, handsome, dahlia blooms that grace our yards in late summer; or those huge waterlily flowers that you see floating on the surface of a pond.
Each flower is composed of many petals, presented in such profusion and so prominently, that at times they almost hide the prettily divided, blue-green, clover-shaped leaves.
The attractive foliage forms a skirt close to the earth. Then, sprouting up through and above the leaves, come sturdy stems, laden with lots of flower buds. These buds nod a little at first, but as they open they turn to face upward, displaying the flowers to maximum advantage, while at the same time showing off all the poise, refinement and proportion of these carefully bred winners.
They come in different colors, so you can choose from your favorite shades. Use them to build a color themed display, or group them all together to make a living kaleidoscope of color.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine Blue’ – A clear, lush blue, perfect for giving a sense of depth to the garden.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine Dark Purple’ – A rich, dark purple, just the thing for providing regal elegance.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine Red’ – An attractive, sensuous red that gets noticed without being garish.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine Salmon Rose’ – A wonderful, warm, softer pink that exudes great charm.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine Rose’ – A bright, luxurious pink that is ideal for adding a special touch of eye-catching color.
Aquilegia v.‘Clementine White’ – All the purity and sophistication of a bridal beauty. It is wonderful for brightening up semi-shady spots or using with the other colors to accentuate and complement their combined hues.
Aquilegia Clementine can be used almost anywhere in the garden where suitable cultural conditions exist. The spectacular colors are superb near the front of beds and borders. They can be used individually in small clumps, or massed together in combined groupings to create a stunning explosion of extended color.
The short, stocky growth habit means they stand up better than most to unseasonable blustery weather. Since they flower with such abundance, they make excellent container plants – perfect for adding a burst of color to doorways, patios, window boxes, or anywhere you need lively color to brighten up drab surroundings.
They thrive best in partially shaded conditions, so they are useful in areas on the shady side of buildings, tall fences, or in lightly shaded woodland gardens. They naturalize well and, through time, will form colonies and drifts of valuable year-after-year color. They can also tolerate sunnier places, providing there is sufficient soil moisture present or there is the ability to water them occasionally if conditions get hot and dry.
In my woodland garden, I find that deer usually leave them untouched - a useful attribute worth passing on to those troubled by deer browsing.
Finally, they are really good as cut flowers. They are easy to arrange and are long lasting. Because they produce lots of flowering shoots, it is easy to snip out a few without affecting the overall display.
They grow best in loose, loamy, well-drained soil that has the capacity to retain moisture in dry weather; just avoid wet conditions. Follow the planting instructions on the tags and on our Garden Splendor® website, and you can't go wrong.
If you take the opportunity at planting time to enhance the conditions by adding extra compost, or other humus media, to the soil, you'll find that they are easy and reliable growers. After flowering, cut off spent flowers and remove any old leaves. This encourages fresh growth and helps to build strong and healthy crowns.Plant breeders at Kieft Seeds, in Venhuizen, The Netherlands, developed the Aquilegia Clementine series. It is a recipient of a Fleuroselect Quality Award, the prestigious international award certifying plants of exceptional merit. Only outstanding varieties, that show improvements in comparison to existing varieties, receive this award. Our own trials here agree. We are certain that you will enjoy this exciting new range of aquilegias from our Garden Splendor® line-up in your garden.
It's another example of why we call our Garden Splendor® plants... ‘Plants Worth Remembering’ ™, and why we describe them as the best of the "tried and true" and the most promising of the "exciting and new".
So here's a series of new aquilegias that not only show promise, but true excitement.
Until next time, remember.... Enjoy your gardening. It's good for you!
