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, moist, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  The striking maroon-black bonnets of Aquilegia 'William Guinness' contrast superbly with the white corolla. The deep purple spurs of this ‘stout’ cottage garden perennial are carried on wiry stems, set above finely divided foliage. Perfect for en-masse in borders and shady woodland edges, this columbine also makes an attractive cut flower subject for an indoor vase.
  
  
• Growing instructions: In autumn, surface-sow on moist compost in small pots or seed trays and keep them in a greenhouse or cold frame at 15 to 20°C. Germination can be slow (up to 3 months) but seedlings should be thinned out as they grow on and over-wintered under glass before planting out after hardening off in spring. Alternatively, spring sowing can be undertaken as before, often without the need for heat.
  
  
• Sow: March to June or September to October
  
  
• Flowering: May to June