Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Granny's Bonnet Life Cycle

This spring flower has several known names such as aquilegia or columbine. The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because the shape of the flower petals are said to resemble an eagle's claw."Columbine" is derived from the Latin word for pigeon (columba) (resource: wikipedia).The blooming season here at the Adelaide plain is usually from October to November. I found that it does not survive well in dry soil and needs to be in semi-shade during summer for long longevity. But it does need sun to bloom profusely.It can be perennial if it is grown in a right location. 

This plants can self-sow easily and you get many volunteers for give-away if left them to seed.

Usually propagated by seeds. However, division from well-established plant during dormant season can also be a success. I found that the seeds germinate better at the end of fall~ early winter. The seedlings might flower in next spring or have to wait for next year spring (makes it 1 1/2 year in this case).

The foliage of this plant look fern-like.

The flowers of various species of Colombine were consumed in moderation by Native Americans as a condiment with other fresh greens, and are reported to be very sweet, and safe if consumed in small quantities. The plant's seeds and roots are highly poisonous however, and contain cardiogenic toxins which cause both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed as food. Native Americans used very small amounts of Aquilegia root as an effective treatment for ulcers. However, the medical use of this plant is better avoided due to its high toxicity; columbine poisonings may be fatal (resource: wikipedia). 

Continue dead-heading if you want to prolong this plant blooming season.
The seed pods.

One seed pods contain a lot of seeds.

21 comments:

cikmanggis said...

apa khabar Diana?lama diana tak berkebun tentu sibuk dengan sekolah ya..semoga semuanya berjalan dengan lancar.

pokok bunga yang beracun tu boleh buat ubat ulcer ya?Cm blom pernah nampak pokok bunga seperti ni kat Malaysia..

Liz said...

I've always really liked Aquilegia, when I was a teenager i was always trying to get mum to grow some but she was going through a natives only phase so she never would. I really must grow my own.

Kelli said...

A great post on aquilegia. I have plants coming up and won't be long until they are in flower. I'm hoping that some of the plants self seeded but i haven't noticed any so far. They grow as perennials in Northern Ireland. All the best, Kelli.

Sunray Gardens said...

Very pretty blooms. My Columbine is coming up now also. Yours is much prettier.
Cher Sunray Gardens

Sue Garrett said...

The aquilegias I sowed from seed last year are just shooting again so hopefully this year I'll have flowers!

tina said...

It's one of my favorite perennials for my shady garden. I never knew it was known as granny's bonnet. Very neat.

Kate said...

I love this flower too. It's one of the first to bloom every Spring.

KL said...

Columbine is considered a native plant in the eastern US. I have quite a few plants in my garden - not planted by me but by the previous owner of the house. It is the first to bloom. However, this year, it is still not blooming. Not sure if this is due to no-winter.

marinahunny said...

comelnya daun dia .. saya pun naik semangat berkebun sbb selalu baca blog ni :)

africanaussie said...

Oh I love them and cant grow them here - thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. I especially love the first photo.

Malar said...

The leaves and flowers look so cute!
Will really become a good border for garden

Stephanie said...

Nice colours! Love this delicate looking flowers. Btw, thanks for sending the seeds earlier. I still have them. I sowed a few earlier... they did not sprout for me :-( You have amazing green thumb!

cookingvarieties said...

hi diana, how are you , thanks so much for coming over. i am back to blogging now. these flowers looks so beautiful. The first pic looks so elegant..
happy gardening and have a nice day

rainfield61 said...

When beauty comes in the form of flowers, you are always the creator.

Dani P. said...

Beautiful pictures, Diana. Love the columbines and I let them grow all over in my garden. Yours are wonderful !!!

Skeeter said...

I tried this plant once in my garden with no luck. I am sure our drought conditions played a part in loosing it. You have reminded me of hoe beautiful they are and I may give them another try this year...

Jody said...

Great post on flowers. We're very excited about our flower garden this year. You sent Larkspur seeds to us that we planted inside just yesterday. We'll probably put them in the garden in the first part of May. Keep up the hard work. Your garden is beautiful!

kitchen flavours said...

Such a pretty flower, love the colour. Yellow has always been my favourite! How are you? Take care and have a nice day!

Daphne Gould said...

I grew up in Colorado where the blue columbine is the state flower. I loved going into the meadows by the steams and seeing them bloom. They were always one of my favorite flowers. And the blue one is so beautiful. Here we have smaller red and yellow ones that are native. Pretty but not as showy as the Colorado ones. I don't have any in this garden however. The leaf miners really make a mess of the leaves around here.

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Cikmanggis~Tinggal berapa bulan lagi nak ke complete PhD ni. Bulan 8 ni dah cukup 4 tahun.

Liz~Aquilegia probably be easier to grow in Melbourne rather than here in Adelaide where we have really hot summer. I read that it is somehow frost tolerant.

Kelli~Can't wait to see your aquilegia blooming. Admire your spring garden very much.

Cher~If I remember correctly, you have very pretty unique colour of columbine in your garden that I wish we have them too.

Sue~Hope you have aquilegia blooming soon in your garden.

Tina~I just knew the name granny's bonnet recently as well.

Kate~It is really a generous plant that provide so many pretty bloom.

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

KL~ There are native plants in North America. We have very mild winter here. I am sure it will bloom for you soon.

Marinahunny~Terima kasih. Sama-samalah kita bersemangat berkebut. Makan sayur selamat.

Africanaussie~Wish one day these plants have a strain that can do well in the tropics.

Malar~Yes. I think it will be a good border plant as well too.

Stephanie~Maybe try some cheats by putting the seeds in the fridge for few weeks before sowing them.

Cookingvarieties~HAPPY BLOGGING again.

Rainfield61~I am more a fan of flowers that later provide edible fruit like peppers or tomatoes;-).

Dani~The columbines will be gracing your garden soon I reckon must look really beautiful in your garden.

Skeeter~I found that columbine find it hard to stay alive during drought on too well-drained soil or clay soil. Location is important for them in this situation, partial shade and plenty of moisture is required to ensure their survival.

Jody~You have a new project with flower garden this year. Hope you have a colourful flower garden this year. The larkspur can grow sometime to more than 1.5 metre tall.

Joyce~Sibuk nak habiskan PhD...hehehe...my time in the garden has reduce more than half compared to previous years.

Daphne~Never seen the blue ones. Wish I can see them. It must look stunningly gorgeous.