Aquilegia Mc Kana hybrid mix

This is an old hybrid variety developed in the 1950s. Horticulturists particularly appreciate it for its large bicolored flowers, created by the contrast between sepals and petals.

Aquilegia vulgaris is native to the entire Northern Hemisphere, belongs to the Ranunculaceae family.

The common Columbine forms a basal rosette of distinctive pale green foliage, from which rise sturdy stems topped with nodding cup-shaped flowers — single or double — in a spectacular range of colours.

Eagerly visited by pollinators, columbines cross-pollinate freely between varieties, producing self-sown seedlings that are often just as colourful and unique as their parents. 

Fully hardy and remarkably easy to grow, Common Columbine thrives in moderately rich, moisture-retentive soil where its long, strong taproot can develop freely. In continental climates it adapts to most situations, including the dappled shade of a woodland edge, which beautifully sets off its delicate colours.

The striking variegation actually helps disguise leaf miner damage, which is a common affliction of columbine foliage a happy accident of its unusual looks.

The name is a nod to Irish folklore and its golden-green colouring, likely chosen by Jelitto as a marketing flourish. Beyond that, like many columbine selections, it probably emerged from careful observation of natural seedling variation rather than deliberate crossing — columbines being famously promiscuous self-seeders that throw up surprises on their own.