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Aquilegia ‘Songbird Cardinal’
Aquilegia ‘Songbird Cardinal’ is jaunty, eye-catching, and very showy
It has large, upward facing blooms, with red outer skirts the colour of a Robin Red Breast’s chest, white petticoats within, and long trailing red spurs.
The whole plant is graceful and elegant.
With the massed blooms held well above a neat, rounded mound of blue-grey, fern-leaf-like foliage.
The colours of flowers and foliage complement each other stylishly.
‘Songbird Cardinal’ gives excellent cut flowers. With the large flowers lasting up to 2 weeks in a vase on their long, clean stems.
While the blue-grey evergreen foliage mound is handsome all year round in either garden or a pot.
The ‘Songbird’ series of Columbines have been especially bred to be showy and eye-catching, but compact growing.
Making them great value for small gardens and decorative containers.
GROWING: Aquilegia 'Songbird Cardinal'
Height with flowers: 45cm. approx. Large, upward facing flowers on long, strong stems.
Width: 45cm. approx. wide neat mound of blue-grey shaded, fern-shaped foliage.
Position: Plant in a shaded, semi shaded, to sunny position. Aquilegias thrive in the dappled shade under trees and shrubs, and under deciduous trees. This hardy variety can also thrive in full sun, but it will need more mulch.
Growth: Hardy and long-lived, evergreen perennial clump. Neat mounding habit.
Plants will also self-seed around themselves in suitable conditions.
Soil: Aquilegia can thrive in a variety of soils, from sandy to clay based, with pH on either the acid or alkaline side of neutral.
Soil enriched with compost and mulch is perfect, and all soils must be well drained. Aquilegia do not tolerate being waterlogged.
Frost: Very frost hardy. Able to cope with hard frosts, down to at least -15C, depending on conditions.
Water: Aquilegias are not thirsty, water-demanding plants, especially when they are grown in their preferred positions in the semi-shade under trees and shrubs. There they can resist periods of dry, requiring no more than average garden watering in warmer periods.
Pots: ‘Songbird’ series Aquilegia are ideal for pots and containers because of their compact growth habit and prolific, very showy flowering.
Cut Flowers: Aquilegia make lovely cut flowers in a vase, and last for up to 2 weeks indoors.
Bees & Birds: The flowers provide nectar for bees, and are also visited by butterflies, moths and other beneficial pollinating insects.
Care & Maintenance: Easy care, low maintenance plant.
Spent flower stems can be trimmed off after flowering if you do not want self-sown seedlings to pop up.
But you can also leave seed pods to develop to self-sow more plants around the parent. Never annoying or a nuisance.
Fertilizer: Quality fertilizer, such as Powerfeed, can be applied in spring and autumn.
We recommend to water in with Seasol at planting. Then you can follow up with Seasol foliar feeds to strengthen plant growth, health, and resistance, though Aquilegia are hardy, robust, easy growers.
Pruning: If foliage begins to look tired, you can cut the clump back to the socks to re-generate fresh, new leaves if necessary. However, Aquilegia do not need any regular pruning other than to trim off spent flower stems once a year.
Pests & Diseases: Rarely troubled by any pests or diseases.
Deer & Rabbit resistant: Aquilegia have an unpalatable taste for both rabbits and deer. So these pests tend to leave plants alone.
Herbal, History & Uses
Herbal uses: Many Aquilegias are native to North America. Where indigenous North American peoples historically used Aquilegia leaves, roots, and flowers to make various lotions, balms, and teas. Perhaps the most novel traditional use was to grind up the seeds and rub into children’s hair to treat lice, or alternatively as a love charm.
European Aquilegias were also mentioned in ancient and medieval treatise, but apparently their potential as love charms was never discovered.
History: The name Aquilegia comes from Latin, where the word for eagle is "aquila". The shape of the flower petals does indeed resemble the claw of an eagle. So Aquilegia is an apt name.
Aquilegias have also acquired many common names over the centuries, because they have been loved, brought in from the wild, and treasured by gardeners over so many centuries
The common name "columbine" also comes from Latin. The word “columba” means "dove" in Latin, and so calling the flowers “Columbines” refers to an Aquilegia bloom resembling five doves billing and cooing together.
Origin: The ‘Songbird’ series of Aquilegia have been recently bred especially for large blooms, elegant growth, and prolific flowering.
Quarantine Restriction: None. Aquilegia can be shipped to all states from Di’s Delightful Plants - one of Australia’s largest on-line nursery and mail order plant services.
Bulk Discount
If you buy 3-6 plants there will be a $0.50 discount per plant"
If you buy 7+ plants there will be a $1.00 discount per plant
Plants on Special are excluded