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Re: Aconitum

I find it very interesting to see one of my late blooming favorite perennials show up here, and get to see all the comments from various parts of the gardening world.
You can not treat all monkshood the same, any more than you can say the word fern and treat them all the same in the garden, expecting them to thrive.
I don't think there is any one perennial for all of us, but the monkshood family is certainly large enough to come close. However, you first must do your home work. Because Aconitum are from a large family of species, hybrids and cultivars, one has to read up a bit, play with them in the garden to find out what works locally for them. It is possible to have a monkshood in bloom in the garden from late June through December by knowing which one to transplant. I readily get bloom reaching into November here and have had bloom in December. There is a monkshood for any size garden. They can reach from 8 inches to well over 8 feet in height. There are both native and non-native species to play with if you are among the native plant enthusiasts.
Aconitum from seed is very erratic in germination, requiring fresh seed and patience for the most part. Time form germination to bloom is in multiple years.... Reason not to carry them for many nurseries. They are also not crazy about nursery pots. Moisture control is an issue.
My favorite companion plants are the fall blooming Japanese anemone, turtleheads.
I have a slide presentation I give on 10 months of bloom in the shade garden. Toward the last is two shots of monkshood in bloom. Last is in December with frost all over the flowers. Stunning. They will take hard freeze and go on to finish blooming and seed production.
There is no shortage of flowering perennials in the fall of the year. Only a lack of awareness.
Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5 Southern Indiana

----- Original Message ----- From: "Ellen Zachos" <ez@acmeplant.com>
Well, I grow Aconitum in PA with great success. It is one of my absolute favorites not only because of the intense color at a time of year when veryt little else is purple, but also because in the middle of the woods (i.e. deer country) it is one of the few perennials that doesn't get touched. Poisonous is sometimes good. Despite our torrential rains this summer my Aconitum didn't require staking (at over 5' tall) and has been in bloom for the last 4 weeks. No irrigation, 3-4 hours of sun, poor soil, and the clump has doubled in size in the three years I've had it. What's not to like. If it weren't so hard to find, I plant it for more of my clients. As it is, I tout it heavily whenever I recommend perennials.

Ellen Zachos 


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