Aconitum
Monkshood
First cultivated in the mid-1500s, Aconitum derivatives were used as both a medicine and a poison, and an unwanted husband might have easily met his end while drinking his dear wife’s tonic. Simply medieval! Leaves, stems and roots are poisonous, but the stately Aconitum still deserves a place in our gardens because of the unusual blooms it hoists in abundance on stalwart stems. An excellent cut flower, unique for its large draped sepal, Aconitum loves cool summer nights, moist, but not wet soil and protection from the heat of the day. Perfect in the border or at woodland’s edge, their bold presence makes an engaging companion to Anemone, Helenium and late-blooming Persicaria.
This compelling Chinese denizen has a lot to offer: unyielding medium-sized stature that never needs staking, gleaming verdant foliage and crystal clear late season bloom. Populating stiff dark blue-violet spires, the hood-shaped flowers surmount ramrod straight stems wrapped in triclefted green leaves, each further carved by stylish lobes and toothed edges. Aconitum fischeri’s dignified persona is ideal, either for a midborder position flanked with Phlox ‘David’ or a more naturalized setting surrounded by Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’™.
Blooms August–early October
Size: 2' 0" – 3' 0" high x 12" – 18" wide.
Hardy to zone 4.
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