Two herbaceous perennials that originate in North America are in flower at the garden. The Aquilegia was collected as seed in British Columbia growing in full sun on the dry east facing slopes of Mt Thynne. Here Aquilegia formosa grows to 800mm the flowers supported on multibranched weak stems. The reddish orange sepals are reflexed back, the base yellow petals forming 5 long hollow tubes where nectar is secreted deep in the tip, attracting pollinating insects. Iris virginica, native to eastern USA, forms a straggly untidy clump. The vegetative growth collapsing lazily as the growing season progresses. During June spikes of multi-flowered blooms are produced. A needy plant in terms of space required. Judge for yourself from these images whether you would give it the space it requires in your own garden. The flowers are magnificent and provide a showy display. A delicate, almost translucent shade of light blue/purple with intricate yellow marking on the falls.

Aquilegia formosa

Iris virginica