(Aquilegia vulgaris) We love aquilegias for their ability to fill the gap between the fading bulbs of spring and the main season flowering annuals and perennials in the garden, and few do it as elegantly as the “Barlow” series. Flowering in mid-May for us, Bordeaux features lovely claret-red nodding blooms that float above the foliage on wiry stems. Flowers are fully doubled, and lack the “spurs” of the more familiar columbine form. The unfurling of the blue/green maidenhair fern-like foliage is one of the most joyful signs of spring in the perennial garden. An excellent cut flower blooms the second year and thereafter.
Hardy perennial to zone 3. UO

Packet: 100 seeds

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Sow indoors 8-10 weeks before your last frost.

Transplant out after last frost.

Note: Pre-chill seed for 1-2 weeks to break dormancy. Blooms in the spring of the second year.

PLANTING DEPTH:

Barely cover as light aids germination.

SPACING:

8-12" in rows 16" apart.

EMERGENCE:

21-28 days @ soil temp 70F

LIGHT:

Prefers part shade

FERTILITY:

Average. Prefers well-drained, fluffy, and evenly moist soil but tolerates less ideal soil.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Strong wiry stems.

Harvest stems when 1/3 of flowers are open and expect a vase life of 5-7 days.

Columbine, 'Bordeaux Barlow'