[daigo75]

Hi all,
Shortly after the bird identification thread, now I have a question about a plant. When I moved in my current home, there was this vase, where previous tenants were apparently growing... Soil. Desert, dry, nothing there.
We didn't know where to put it, so we "temporarily" moved it to the bathroom, out of the way. We didn't add water or anything, just the humidity created by the shower was dampening the soil and then... This plant came out!
By the way it came out (it grows on a side of the pot) it could be a weed, yet
it's my favorite plant at home, as I just had to water it once in 4 months and give it half a teaspoon of plant food, and look at the result, an interesting flower.
It doesn't smell, but I really like it, so now I'd like to identify it to figure out how to take proper care of it.

Thank you very much

[Liparis]

Looks like Aquilegia. A very hardy plant. If your happy with it growing indoors then you could scatter some seeds in the garden and have lots of it growing there. It grows in a wall for me. A very adaptable plant. Don't know the common name in Ireland, but in Scotland we call it Grannies Nightcap.
Bill.

[Sive]

Definitely aquilegia! And how novel to see it growing indoors......I grew (almost too many) aquilegia plants from seed last year, so am really looking forward to seeing them all flower this year.
They are a lovely addition to a herbaceous bed....light and delicate and very pretty. If you let your indoor one go to seed, you can grow lots more! I've never grown a white one, so it may be an unusual one??

[daigo75]

Thank you all for the information. I must be lucky then, if it's unusual for it to grow indoor.
It's in front of the bathroom window, "feeding" on moisture from the air, but now I will take proper care of it. Maybe I should move it outside, in a new bed of compost? Also, I noticed this morning that some leaves are becoming slightly yellow, do I have to be worried?

Also, since you mentioned "seeding": how does it seed? Do I have to bring it outside to allow the insects to pollinate it? Where do I find the seeds afterward? Sorry for all these questions, I never had a plant like this one. Thank you again.

[barremic]

Hi

Yes definitely an Aquilegia, i have just sown some from seed. But I have the plain yellow one in the garden, and a purple and yellow one in my mams. the flower will dry up and you will see 3 or 4 little capsules of seeds. when the capsule goes from green to brown, (if you catch it at the right time) it is full of nice dry seeds which you can scatter about.

There are lots of different colour mixes out there, and they seem to pop up all over the place after a couple of years, and the colours mix.

The leaves are probably a bit yellow because its been in the same compost for a few years. probably no harm if you like it to keep it indoors, just give it a bit of new compost and a feed

Hope this helps

[Liparis]

I think it's telling you it wants to be outside in the garden, hence the yellowing foliage. It's not exactly suitable as a houseplant, but as you've proved, it can work.
Out in the garden it will probably seed itself, you can collect the pods that develop in place of the flowers, just as they are turning brown and scatter them where you want. If you continue to grow it indoors you could pollinate it yourself, we use rabbit fuds for pollinating flowers but anything similar would do, just give it a good rub and twirl inside the flower.
Bill.

[daigo75]

Hi all,
The little tiny plant is now outside. The white flowers are now gone, and I was afraid the plant was suffering from the strong wind. Instead, new flowers have grown, even bigger, and this time they are a beautiful shade of pink and purple.

Sive wrote "I've never grown a white one". Well, I guess it was white because the bathroom window where the plant was staying didn't get a lot of sun, yet the plant managed to grow strong and beautiful.

[barremic]

and even better it will be back next year, and hopefully will manage to scatter a few seeds about too.

The young seedlings look very similar to the parent plant only mini, so they are easy to weed around.

M

[Liparis]

A lot of Aquilegia are cut-and-come flowers. The more you cut the flowers the more flowers it will produce. also, although it might not look like it at first glance, you could actually have two different plants in the one container.
my intention is to make an aquilegia bed. I will broadcast mixed seeds and let them go. Between individual plants seeding and cross fertilising, it should provide a multitude of colours as time goes on.
Bill.