Japanese Columbine "Selection" (Dwarf fan-shaped columbine)

Japanese Columbine "Selection" (Akita Columbine, Fan Columbine) - Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila
An amazingly delicate and touching plant that remains beautiful even when not in bloom.
Perennial from the Ranunculaceae family.
Height when flowering: 20 cm.
Spacing: 25 cm.
Flower colour: bright blue with white spurs.
Foliage: rounded, multi-lobed, grey-green.
Growth habit: compact, bushy.
Flowering period: April - June.
Blooms: second year after sowing.
Hardiness zones: USDA Z3-Z8.
Soil: well-drained, moderately fertile.

History: this cultivar was introduced by JELITTO PERENNIAL SEEDS in 1986 and was awarded the Award of Garden Merit (A.G.M.) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Features: a charming dwarf columbine with nodding bright blue flowers and elegant white-tipped petals. Perfect for rock gardens, alpine plantings, and window boxes. Ideal for naturalistic gardens and minimalist compositions. Its graceful foliage and vibrant spurred flowers add lightness and natural charm to any garden.
Recommendations: plant in groups of 5-7 (25 cm/10 in apart) for a "flowering carpet" effect. After seed pods form in July, cut back spent stems to prolong leaf vegetation.

* In the wild, Fan Columbine grows among shrubs in subalpine zones and mountain forests of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Northern Japan. It prefers light sandy or loamy soils in sunny locations and cannot tolerate heavy clay soils.
Plants reach 15-60 cm in height. Leaves are trifoliate, long-petioled, forming a basal rosette. Flowers measure 5-6 cm across, lilac-blue with whitish edges and prominently hooked spurs. Each stem bears 1-5 flowers. With proper care, both flower quantity and leaf size increase. In Estonian conditions, it's winter-hardy and blooms in mid-May.
Flowering lasts 2-3 weeks. Seed pods mature by July when reproductive stems die back, while leaves remain vegetative until late autumn.
Self-seeds readily. Forms dense, compact, floriferous clumps. Garden varieties include white and double-flowered forms.
Being somewhat heat-loving, plants require winter protection in areas with little or no snow cover.
Excellent for rockeries and border plantings. Dried flowers work well in floral arrangements. In Japan, Fan Columbine is often grown as a potted plant and forced for bloom (especially compact and double varieties). In cultivation since 1887.

Eng.: Dwarf fan-shaped columbine. Bot. syn.: Aquilegia japonica Nakai., Aquilegia akitensis.