Bring a touch of cottage garden charm to your borders with Aquilegia McKana Giants, a beautiful perennial variety renowned for its large, elegant flowers and distinctive long spurs. This colourful mix produces an abundance of delicate, often two-tone blooms in shades of soft pink, lavender, violet, deep burgundy, creamy white and buttery yellow. Each flower features the characteristic star-like shape of the columbine, with gracefully swept-back spurs that give the blooms their wonderfully intricate appearance.
 
Flowering from late spring into early summer, Aquilegia McKana Giants provides a welcome burst of colour as the garden transitions between seasons. The flowers rise above attractive, finely divided, blue-green foliage on slender stems, creating a light, airy effect in mixed borders. Particularly well suited to cottage gardens, woodland-style planting and informal borders, these hardy perennials thrive in sun or partial shade and are especially useful for brightening areas that receive a little afternoon shade.
 
The nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators, making them a valuable addition to wildlife-friendly gardens.
 
When to Sow : Feb–Jun or Sep–Oct
 
HOW TO SOW AQUILEGIA:
REQUIRES COLD STRATIFICATION. Place seeds in the fridge for 4 weeks prior to sowing or sow in autumn and allow mother nature to do this for you.
Sow onto the surface of moist, well-drained compost and cover lightly with vermiculite. Do not exclude light as this aids germination. Germination is slow and can be erratic, taking 1–3 months.
Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into pots and grow on cool before planting out after frost.
Autumn sowings can be overwintered in a cold frame and planted out in spring.
 
Classification: Hardy Perennial
Expert Level: Moderate
Germination Time: 1–3 months (erratic)
Flowering Time: May - Jul
 
Site: Full sun/part sun
Soil Type: Will grow in most soils
Soil Acidity: All Types
Moisture: Well drained
Care: Deadhead to prolong flowering or prevent self-seeding. Can be divided in spring, though slow to recover.
Use: Cottage gardens, cut flowers
Harvest: When blooms are fully open
 
Days to Maturity:  2nd Year
Vase Life: 3-5 Days
Height:80-90cm
Plant Spacing:  30cm