Aquilegia alpina, Alpine Columbine or the beautifully named, Breath of God, is a hardy herbaceous perennial from the European Alps with vibrant violet-blue nodding flowers from late spring through to June or longer. The bright blue-green foliage starts growing around mid-February and grows rapidly and the flowers usually start to appear in May. It is a prolific bloomer and the flowers make ideal cut flowers. In fact, they probably should be cut as it is also a prolific self-seeder and your garden will soon have many more Aquilegia alpina than you ever need if you don't either cut them for the vase or dead-head them.

Aquilegia alpina is a vigourous and tough perennial, completely hardy in the coldest of conditions with the foliage dying down in autumn. It forms a thick taproot from which it grows again in the spring. The one thing it doesn't like is a hot dry summer so remember to keep it well watered during heatwaves.