Aquilegia Earlybird™ Purple Yellow

Aquilegia Earlybird™ Purple Yellow: Royal Purple With a Yellow Punchline

Purple with a soft yellow centre, facing upward like it wants you to admire the outfit. This columbine went to fashion school and graduated with honours. ROYALTY, BUT MAKE IT TINY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Aquilegia hybrid
• Common Name: Columbine
• Series: Earlybird™, a PanAmerican Seed first-year-flowering columbine series
• Height: 28–33 cm (11–13 in)
• Spread: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Flowers: Bicolour, purple with a soft yellow centre, 5–8 cm (2–3 in) across, facing upward
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to July)
• Foliage: Soft, finely divided green leaves in a compact mound
• Features: Compact, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it near the front of a border, in a rock garden or in containers. Purple and yellow are complementary colours, so it pops against chartreuse foliage nearby.

Companion Plants: Hemerocallis 'Fragrant Returns' picks up the yellow in the columbine with yellow flowers from July to September. Tradescantia 'Innocence' adds white flowers at 50 to 60 cm from June to September. Verbena hastata 'Blue Spires' rises to 120 cm with blue spikes, echoing the purple tones. All three grow in full sun or partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun or part sun in moist, well-drained soil. Afternoon shade helps the flowers last longer in hot weather. Avoid heavy, soggy soil, especially over winter. Water regularly through the first season. Deadhead to keep it tidy and encourage a few more flowers. If the leaves look tired or get marked by leaf miners in midsummer, cut them back and fresh foliage will follow. Like most columbines, individual plants are fairly short-lived, so a few new ones every few years keeps the show going.

History: The Earlybird™ series comes from PanAmerican Seed and was bred to need less winter chill than older columbines, so plants flower quickly and stay short and well branched, with upward-facing flowers. The genus name Aquilegia comes from the Latin word for eagle, a nod to the claw-like spurs.

Final Thoughts: Front of the border or a patio pot, it shows up early and stays sharp. The hummingbirds will bow. CROWN JEWEL OF THE CONTAINER.