Aquilega vulgaris var. stellata Rose Barlow seeds - Columbine

Sow the seeds of Aquilegia 'Rose Barlow' to bring this famous romantic columbine back to the garden, with its double flowers in a very bright, soft pink. This variety from the Barlow series is distinguished by its pom-pom corollas, without spurs, borne on slender stems that sway gracefully above finely cut foliage. This perennial, hardy and undemanding plant brings a touch of freshness to flower beds, borders and cottage gardens. Its flowers also make very beautiful spring bouquets, which last a long time in a vase.

Columbine 'Rose Barlow' belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The type species Aquilegia vulgaris is a herbaceous perennial that forms a basal leafy clump from which upright flowering stems emerge each year.
The horticultural form ‘Rose Barlow ’, or Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Rose Barlow ’, is classified in the group of cultivars with double, star-shaped flowers, lacking spurs, in the lineage of the famous ‘Nora Barlow’. The plant has an upright clump-forming habit, dense basal foliage and branched flowering stems. Its growth is fairly rapid, and its limited lifespan is compensated for by a good ability to self-seed. Its height varies from 60 to 80cm depending on the soil and exposure. The columbine does not produce suckers: it does not produce invasive underground offshoots, but spontaneous seedlings can gradually form a small carpet where it is happy.
The flowers appear from May to June, sometimes until July depending on the season. Each fully double, nodding flower measures 3 to 4cm in diameter. Their dominant colour is a soft light pink, sometimes washed with deeper shades or slightly purplish towards the petal tips, with a paler centre revealing the cream-yellow stamens. The nectar-rich flowers are pollinated by insects (bees, bumblebees, butterflies). After flowering, elongated dry follicles form, containing many small black seeds that self-seed. 
The deciduous foliage disappears in winter and re-emerges from the ground in spring. The finely cut basal leaves are composed of rounded, lobed leaflets, of a bluish-green to grey-green colour.

Columbine 'Rose Barlow' can be used in natural gardens, perennial borders or slightly shaded borders. It can be planted in small groups of 3 to 5 plants among the umbels of Alchemilla mollis or the blooms of perennial Geranium sylvaticum. You can pair it with Columbine ‘Black Barlow’ for a pink/black contrast, the blue variety ‘Blue Barlow’, the foxglove Digitalis ‘Pam’s Choice’ or Campanula lactiflora ‘Loddon Anna’. Its flowers last very well in a vase: you can cut a few stems without harming the vigour of the clumps; leave some flowers to go to seed so that the columbine self-seeds naturally.