Aquilegia flabellata Cameo White - Columbine

Aquilegia flabellata 'Cameo White' is a dwarf columbine with a truly bright white flowering. With its beautiful cushions of dense foliage, small white flowers bloom for several weeks in spring, beautifully enhanced by the typical blue-green foliage of columbines. It is a charming perennial that will enhance slightly moist and semi-shaded areas of the garden, whether planted in a small rockery or as a border plant. It will also be superb in a container on the terrace or balcony.

Columbines are beautiful and indispensable perennials, the lightness of their foliage and the unique shape of their flowers have long captivated gardeners. They are perfect for brightening up slightly shaded areas in flower beds. The different forms, sizes, and colours allow for unique combinations with other perennials. They belong to the Ranunculaceae family. Aquilegia flabellata, also known as dwarf columbine, is a botanical species native to mountainous regions of Japan and Korea. It is a herbaceous perennial plant, with vegetation that persists through winter.

The variety 'Cameo White' forms a small, dense clump of light foliage, 15 cm (6in) tall and 30 cm (12in) wide, from which branched floral stems emerge from the end of April, reaching a height of about 25 cm (10in). Each white flower, 4 cm (2in) wide and slightly drooping towards the ground, is composed of sepals with horned spurs surrounding a small corolla of petals. They continue to bloom until June if faded flowers are removed. Its slightly bluish-green foliage is quite decorative; the cut-out of the basal leaves gives a sense of lightness.

Planted next to spring bulbs, 'Cameo White' columbine will hide their dried and yellowing leaves at the end of spring. At the base of bushes, it enhances their flowering or foliage. Compact and unassuming, columbines are essential in mixed borders, where they bring lightness and charm. They can be planted in many areas of the garden, taking care to leave a space of 20 cm (8in) around each plant: in the middle of a perennial flower bed, along a border, at the base of shrubs, at the edge of woodlands, on a slope, in a moist and shaded rockery... They will look magnificent when planted in groups to form a dense clump. Pick them just as they open for beautiful country-style bouquets. In woodlands, in a 'cottage garden' spirit, 'Cameo White' can be associated with all kinds of perennials, such as small ferns, Foxgloves, Bleeding Hearts, Peach-leaved Bellflowers, or corydalis. Its modest size allows it to be grown in pots, where it performs well.

Be careful to separate columbines from each other, as wild hybridization can alter the varieties over time.