Aquilegia 'William Guiness'

This heritage variety is loved the world over and valued for its unique colouring and flowering prowess. The deep purple, almost black bonnets of Aquilegia ‘William Guiness’ contrast beautifully with the white corollas. The flowers are 3-4 cm across and last up to a fortnight in a vase.

Aquilegia ‘William Guiness’ is an old favourite that is sometimes referred to as Aquilegia ‘Magpie’. They are one and the same, but ‘William Guiness’ was the original. The spelling differs from the famous Guinness drink the flower resembles.

Aquilegias are a cottage garden essential with sweet, nodding flowers and delightful lacy foliage.

Aquilegias thrive in light to moderate shade though, with sufficient moisture they will tolerate full sun. The flowers do tend to last longer when planted in light shade. Aquilegia will do best when planted in humus rich, well drained soil.

After the initial flowering has finished, cut the stems back to the basal foliage and fertilise for a second round of blooms and foliage. Leave the last flowers of the season to form seed heads for future generations of plants. Seedlings are unlikely to flower true to type as they hybridise easily.

The botanical name, Aquilegia stems from the Latin word for Eagle, as the spurs resemble Eagles claws.

Supplied as: Pots
Size: 10 cm