This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast growing
• Flowering period: May to August
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Large clumps of deep mahogany-bronze foliage brood beneath bright, faintly-veined mauve-purple flowers with creamy white centres in early summer. Useful for difficult dry, partially shaded areas of the garden, the flowers rise to the beaked seed capsules (hence “crane’s bill”), attractive to bees, and despised by rabbits and deer! ‘Stormy Night’ is a great option for rock gardens, cottage gardens or effective ground cover in prairie-planting schemes.
  
  
• Garden care: In midsummer rejuvenate plants that are beginning to look jaded, by removing old flowered stems and leaves. Lift and divide large colonies in spring.