Aquilegia Earlybird™ White

Aquilegia Earlybird™ White: Creamy White Faces Turned Upward

Creamy white flowers facing upward on a compact mound, as tidy as freshly folded linen. This columbine is the neat freak of the spring garden. NOT A PETAL OUT OF PLACE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Aquilegia hybrid
• Common Name: Columbine
• Series: Earlybird™, a PanAmerican Seed first-year-flowering columbine series
• Height: 23–28 cm (9–11 in)
• Spread: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Flowers: Creamy white, 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 to brighten the front of a part-sun border, a woodland edge or a container. White flowers glow against dark foliage and soften stronger colours nearby.

Companion Plants: Bergenia 'Winterglut' opens red flowers in April and May, just ahead of the white columbines. Delphinium 'Mini Stars' follows with blue spikes at 45 to 75 cm from June to August. Hibiscus Summerific® 'Edge of Night' brings big pink flowers from July to September, long after the columbine is done. All three suit 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: Light up a part-sun corner or a patio pot. Hummingbirds and bees come by for inspection. PASSES THE WHITE GLOVE TEST EVERY TIME.