Aquilegias

A very easy to grow plant which self seeds readily, the Aquilegia Vulgaris ( also known as Granny's Bonnet) is a lovely cottage garden plant which has flowers of many hues. The plants increase each year if you let them set seed and the flowers, which appear in April/May, vary from white and pink shades through to reds, pale and dark blues, mauve and purple.
This can be a bit of an invasive self seeder, much like the forget-me-not. But the flowers, like the forget-me-not, are very pretty so I just weed out any unwanted plants. Letting the plants set seed results in many different colours as the varieties inter-hybridise easily and do not grow true to type. Cut back stems immediately after flowering if you wish to prevent self seeding. Aquilegias can be propagated by dividing the roots between October and March. This is one way of ensuring that you increase the stock of a particular colour. My favourite colour is the blue which is particularly lovely. These plants will grow to a height of about 12 - 18 inches and prefer a moist but well drained soil in either a sunny or partially shaded position.