Aquilegia vulgaris 'Leprechaun Gold'

€6,50

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Leprechaun Gold'

Name: Aquilegia vulgaris 'Leprechaun Gold'
Brand: plant d'Avenir
Price: 6.50 EUR
Availability: InStock

€6,50

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Leprechaun Gold' is a variation on the theme of the common Columbine - bright yellow and neon green variegation across the leaves bring light and unusual patterns to a garden, and the purple flowers contrast beautiful as they nod overhead.

For this Columbine, the defining characteristic isn't the flower — it's the foliage.

Each marbled leaf is embellished with speckles, splotches and streaks of Irish green, chartreuse and golden hues, which means that no two alike— a natural genetic mutation called chlorophyll variegation, where cells lack the ability to produce full green pigment uniformly.

The violet flowers top the clump in late April and early May.

🌻Colors and Contrast

€6,50

Size: 9x9cm

Flowering	April, May
Frost Tolerance	-15°C
Size	60cm H x 40cm W
Soil	Rich, Cool, Well Draining
Origin	Europe

Gardening Tips:

💦 If planting during the spring, make sure to water the young plants - especially if the summer is tough. Once established, columbines are remarkably tough and will settle into almost any soil and climate.

✂️ Pruning the entire plant down to the ground in July after flowering will allow for the new foliage to burst back neatly.

🌳 5/6 plants per m² will create a dense display within the first year

The Botany:

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.

The Myths:

'Leprechaun Gold' was introduced by Jelitto Seeds, the respected German perennial seed house known for selecting and distributing unusual cultivars. The name and the variety are considered among the most treasured of variegated Aquilegias.