Aquilegia vulgaris Munstead White - Columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Munstead White' is a very beautiful pure white variety, a small wonder of natural elegance. Almost wild, it is a white strain of the garden columbine that naturally grows in the famous English garden at Munstead Wood. This perennial forms tidy clumps that produce floral stems of at least 45 cm (18in) in spring. This unassuming plant is remarkably perennial, easy to grow in any terrain, requires no special care, reliably self-seeds, and easily naturalizes in a shady garden or woodland.

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Munstead White' belongs to the buttercup family. It is an endemic cultivar in Munstead Wood Garden. It is derived from Aquilegia vulgaris (or clematiflora), native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, where it grows in meadows and clearings of deciduous woods. It is a very hardy herbaceous perennial, forming an upright, leafy clump, reaching a height of 40 cm, and a width of 30 cm (12in), from which long floral spikes rise upwards. From May to June, up to 60 cm (24in) tall stems emerge, on top of which charming single flowers bloom, grouped in 2 or 3 and facing upwards. They have long-horned spurs, with immaculate white corollas. Its deciduous bluish-green foliage is quite decorative, and the serration of the basal leaves gives a sense of lightness. 

Columbines were already cultivated in the flower beds of the Middle Ages, and cottage gardens have perpetuated the tradition. Compact and discreet, they are essential in mixed borders, where they will bring lightness and charm. They can be planted in many places in the garden, in the middle of a perennial bed, in a border, at the base of bushes, on the edge of woodlands or on a slope. They will look magnificent when planted in groups to create a dense clump. Pick them when they are just opening for beautiful country-style bouquets. In woodlands, with a 'wild garden' spirit, you can associate 'Munstead White' with all kinds of perennials, such as ferns, foxgloves, Bleeding Hearts, or corydalis.