Aquilegia 'Mckana Hybrids'Columbine, Granny's Bonnet

Caution: irritant to skin and eyes, harmful if eaten. On delivery, plant Aquilegias at the earliest opportunity. Should soil conditions prevent planting directly into borders (if soil is frozen or waterlogged), bare roots should be potted up, watered sparingly and grown on in a cool position. Choose a sunny position in well drained soil and work some compost or general fertiliser into the top 20cm of the soil. Dig a hole wide enough to accommodate the bare root with its roots spread out and deep enough that the crown of the plant is just a few cm below soil level. Backfill the hole with soil and firm the plant in gently. Leave a slight depression around the plant - this will help to direct water towards the roots. Water well to settle the soil.

These plants are lifted from the nursery field when dormant, and sent to you in late autumn or spring for planting. They often look dead on arrival, but they are just resting in the dormant period and will establish quickly for a strong start in the garden come spring. Set out in prepared soil in holes wide enough and deep enough to lay out the roots. Tread down the planting soil to knock out air pockets. Water well to settle. Apply a mulch to protect roots from cold temperatures. If conditions prevent immediate planting, set roughly into loose soil or a pot of compost (‘heeling in’) to protect the roots. The growth points of most bare root perennials should be set about an inch below the soil surface. New growth will appear in spring.

In autumn, remove old foliage and apply a mulch of well rotted manure or garden compost to the base of the plant. Lift and divide perennials in autumn every third year to maintain their vigour. Aquilegia seeds freely, though rarely to nuisance level, so you will never be short of new seedlings to fill gaps in borders!

Seeds and garden supplies will normally be delivered within the time period stated against each product as detailed above. Plants, bulbs, corms, tubers, shrubs, trees, potatoes, etc. are delivered at the appropriate time for planting or potting on. Delivery times will be stated on the product page above, or in your order acknowledgement page and email.

Orders for packets of seed incur a delivery charge of £2.99.

Orders which include any other products will incur a delivery charge of £6.99.

Where an order includes both packets of seeds and other products, a maximum delivery charge of £7.99 will apply - regardless of the number of items ordered.

Large items may incur a higher delivery charge - this will be displayed in your shopping basket.

Please see our Delivery page for further details, and more information on different charges that may apply to certain destinations.

For more information on how we send your plants please visit our Helpful Guide on plant sizes.