Aquilegia 'Chocolate Soldier'

Chocolate is a weakness for many and to have it in flower form it is even harder to resist! The deep mahogany purple petals are coupled with green sepals. The blooms have a sweet scent and open in profusion from late spring into summer.

These sweet plants date back to 1902 and have become floral heirlooms. ‘Chocolate Soldiers’ is a dwarf form that grows 20-30cm tall.

Aquilegias are a cottage garden essential with sweet and nodding flowers and delightful lacy foliage.

The elegant, fern like leaves are a rare blue-green colour. They are a beautiful foil for other plants and they develop just in time to fill in for the fading spring flowers, the fresh foliage starts growing in early spring. The flowers open on narrow, branched stems and face outward to upward. After flowering through spring into summer their foliage dies back and becomes dormant to remerge next spring.

Aquilegias like light to moderate shade though will tolerate full sun. The flowers will last longer when planted in light shade.

Aquilegias are suitable for growing in a lightly shaded border, morning sun, massed plantings or in large containers. After the initial flowering has finished, cut the stems back to the basal foliage for future blooms. Leave the last flowers of the season to form seed heads for future generations of plants. Seedlings are unlikely to flower true to type as they hybridise easily.

Keep good air flower around the plants to avoid powdery mildew and keep an eye out for aphids. Aquilegia should be planted in moist, well drained humus rich soil.

The botanical name, Aquilegia stems from the Latin word for Eagle, as the spurs resemble Eagles talons.

Supplied as: Pots
Size: 10 cm