Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata White Barlow - Columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris var.stellata White Barlow, also known as columbine, displays a prolific flowering of fluffy, spurless, pure white blooms in early summer, emerging from its lovely grey-green delicate foliage at the tips of slender stems. It is a graceful perennial plant, easy to cultivate, suitable for both borders and rock gardens.

The White Barlow columbine belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. It is a cultivar derived from Aquilegia vulgaris, native to Europe, which has given rise to numerous hybrids appreciated for their delicate foliage and abundant flowering. Columbines have been grown in gardens for centuries and are among the most popular perennial plants. The 'White Barlow' cultivar forms a dense clump of foliage from spring, measuring 40 cm (16in) in all directions. It produces 2 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, delicately nodding, fully double pure white flowers, surrounded by greenish sepals. This columbine will brighten up your garden from May to July. The stiff, highly branched stems bear 5 to 15 flowers at their tips. The foliage is grey-green, rounded, and often divided into two or three lobes. When in bloom, it reaches a height of 70 cm (28in) and self-seeds in various locations, filling in neglected corners avoided by other plants. This plant has a taproot, and it doesn't tolerate transplanting very well.

Blooming in late spring or early summer, the generous clumps of White Barlow Aquilegia make a beautiful backdrop for beds of taller perennials or annuals. As it is a compact plant with spreading, airy foliage, it is useful for filling in empty spaces between plants or concealing the yellowing foliage of bulbs (daffodils, ipheion, etc.) or ornamental ferns. Columbines can be planted near deciduous shrubs or in proximity to ericaceous shrubs and, of course, among other perennials. They pair perfectly with perennial geraniums, garlic, alchemilla mollis, foxgloves, daylilies, euphorbia robbiae, or characias. In rock gardens, they can be combined with campanulas, limnanthes, arenaria montana, montia sibirica, viola cornuta, saxifraga hypnoides, heuchera...