Hi there, Wondering if someone out there might know the latin name for this variety. This is my first time posting, so I hope I do the photo attachment right. I don't know my latin naming system well, but I think it's vulgaris of some sort. Its flower stems get almost four feet tall, the flowers are a dusty deep pink (this is photoshopped, and a bit brighter than in real life), and it's spurred. I'd love to pot some up for my community garden plant sale on Sunday, but need to know what to call them! Thanks, Michelle
Your question might be a bit of a minefield for several reasons. First, there are many named cultivars of Aquilegia, but they are notorious self-seeders and the original plants may be short-lived. So even if you bought the plant as a named variety, if it is five years later you can't necessarily be sure that you still have the original plant, and you certainly can't be sure that any other plants growing around it are precisely the same. So you might name it, but you may be misstating what you're selling. Second, if it is a named variety, there might be copyright issues (in plants they are called plant patents) involved in the use of cultivar names. For this kind of purpose you're usually best off calling it a dusty pink Aquilegia, and if you find a cultivar name that seems to fit you can say it is similar to, or a seedling of, that name. Speaking as a potential buyer at such events, people don't come looking for named plants. But I will add that if your aquilegias are 4 feet tall, you could probably give buyers some advice on how to grow them, and that would amply compensate for the lack of proper name!
Thanks very much for your advice - it's very practical and helpful. Though the curious part of me wants to know its actual name, the pragmatic part of me just decided to create a tag with a colour picture of the flower... Best, Michelle
