The monkshood impresses with its unique look and with its magnificent flowers. However, there are a few things to consider when cultivating in your own garden.
The monkshood (Aconite) is an enrichment for every garden and offers an almost unique flower shape. The buttercup family is particularly common in cottage gardens. The plant was once also known as wolfsbane and used as a wolf poison. The following guide provides information about the attractive poisonous plant and explains about planting, care and propagation.
Plant Description
| Monkshood(Aconite) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | 50 - 150 cm |
| Flower: | between June and October depending on the variety |
| Location: | partial shade |
| Casting: | always water enough - the soil must not dry out |
| Fertilize: | conventional liquid fertilizer for flowering plants |
| Propagation: | possible by division or sowing |
The monkshood is a herbaceous mostly perennial plant. Only a few species are annual. The plants form a taproot that extends deep into the soil. The hermaphroditic inflorescences with their yellow, blue or white sepals appear on the erect stems. Plants grow straight up and can reach 1.5 meters in height. The helmet-like flower shape is typical for all representatives of the genus.
Flower variety
There are about 300 monkshood species. This results in a varied variety of flowers. The flowering time also varies. The yellow monkshood or the blue mountain monkshood ring in the summer in the bed. The series of blossoms comes to an end in October with the autumn monkshood.
Most monkshoods have blue flower spikes and individual flowers reminiscent of the helmets of knights' armour. Some monkshood species have white, yellowish, pink or burgundy flowers.
A short introduction to some monkshood species
| Type | Growth | Flower Color | Blooming time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) | 110 cm | blue-violet flower | July to August |
| Monkshood (Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. neapolitanum) | 120 cm | light yellow flowers | June to July |
| Red monkshood (Aconitum hemsleyanum) | 200 cm | burgundy flowers | August to September |
| Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) | 130 cm | blue-violet flowers | September to October |
Warning poisonous!
Before planting in your garden at home, you should bear in mind that monkshood is not only one of the most beautiful flowering plants, but also one of the most poisonous representatives of the plant kingdom.
Warning: All parts of the aconite are highly poisonous.
The plant poison was once used to prepare arrowheads. Gloves and long clothing should always be worn when planting and tending, because skin contact with the plant sap can be enough to cause symptoms of poisoning.
Warning: If children and pets have access to the garden, aconite should not be planted.
In 2005, monkshood was voted poisonous plant of the year, not without good reason, as it is one of the most poisonous plants in Europe. All parts of the plant contain lycoctonine, neopelline, aconitine and other toxic alkaloids.As a contact poison, aconitine is absorbed through the skin when the plant is touched. Even small doses are sufficient to trigger cardiac arrhythmia and paralysis. Ingesting a few grams is enough to cause heart failure and respiratory arrest. There is no known antidote.
Monkshood must not be torn out of the ground in the wild. The plant is a protected plant and there are fines for misconduct.
Warning: Monkshood can easily be confused with wormwood, mugwort or common sage.
Plant Monkshood
Find the right location
The monkshood is native to our latitudes and feels most comfortable there in mountainous areas. The plants like it rather damp and can therefore also be found in the wild on wet meadows or by streams. A drier and warmer location is rather unsuitable for the buttercup family.
You should find a partially shaded spot. The monkshood likes to be protected by trees and bushes. If only a sunny location can be found, care must be takenAlways ensure there is enough water to irrigate. If the plant is too warm, it is more likely to be attacked by diseases.
Selecting the ideal substrate
The substrate provides the basis for he althy growth of the monkshood. The various monkshood species hardly differ in their soil requirements. It prefers well drained soil that is rich in nutrients and slightly moist. The soil may be humus and contain loam or clay.
Planting monkshood - step by step
1. Select location2. Prepare soil
3. Water plant
4. Dig planting hole5. Enrich the substrate
6. Insert the plant
7. Fill in the substrate and press well
8. Water the plant
The best planting time is spring. Then the monkshood can form enough roots and grow vigorously until winter. The various types of monkshood have roughly the same site requirements. How much planting distance is necessary should be taken from the information on the labels of the plants.
Before the planting hole is dug, the plant is allowed to absorb sufficient moisture in a bucket of water. The substrate can be made richer in nutrients with a dose of compost or horn shavings.
If possible, a single position should be found for the monkshood. Most of the plants have blue flowers that contrast nicely with white or yellow flowering plants.
Tip: Since the lower leaves of the plant wither quickly and the appearance suffers as a result, underplanting is a good idea.
An overview of the best planting tips
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Find location | • shady to semi-shady • airy • cool |
| Select substrate | • nutritious • humos • moist |
| planting | • Observe planting distance • Dig a planting hole of sufficient size • Water the plant well |
Care for Monkshood
Watering the monkshood correctly
The monkshood always needs enough water. The soil must not dry out and should therefore be checked more frequently. It is a good idea to mulch the soil, this keeps the liquid in the soil longer.
Fertilize the aconite properly
The monkshood needs a sufficient supply of nutrients. The substrate should already be enriched with compost and horn shavings when planting. During the growth phase, you can also use aconventional liquid fertilizer for flowering plants.
Does the aconite have to be cut?
Immediately after flowering, the seed heads of the plants are removed. Once the leaves have completely withered, the stems can be cut back to the ground.
Propagation of monkshood
Monkshood can be propagated by division and by sowing.
Reproduction by division
1. Dig out the rootstock
2. Separate the sinker from the main root
3. Replant root pieces
Propagation by division is possible if you have a sufficiently developed plant. The monkshood should only be divided after six to eight years. Most species can be divided in spring or autumn. Only the autumn monkshood is only propagated in spring.
The rootstock must be dug up completely. To do this, the hobby gardener must carefully penetrate the soil and dig up the plant like a turnip without damaging the roots. The beet-like root pieces are separated from the main root and planted separately from the mother plant. The root sections should be about two centimeters covered with soil.
Tip: It is essential to wear gloves when working because the rootstock is particularly poisonous.
Propagation by seed
1. Prepare the soil
2. Plant the seeds
3. Cover the seeds only lightly with soil
4. Water the seeds
The monkshood is a cold germ. It therefore needs low temperatures for germination to begin. Therefore, sowing should be carried out in the winter months. The dark germs are easy to cover with soil. When sowing, care should be taken to ensure that there is sufficient space between the seeds. Otherwise only weak seedlings will be able to form.
Recognize diseases and pests on aconite
Selecting the ideal location protects the plant from diseases and pests. A too warm and sunny location leads to the appearance of the black bean aphid, the cyclamen mite or the leaf miner.
Sclerotium rot or Verticillium wilt may occur in too wet a location. These diseases are usually unavoidable and only digging up and removing the root material helps.
Location errors can also lead to the occurrence of powdery mildew or various bacterial leaf spot diseases. If prolonged drought and waterlogging are avoided,the plants prove to be robust and are hardly affected by diseases or pests.
Wintering the monkshood properly
The monkshood is frost hardy and survives the winter without additional protection. However, young plants are not fully frost hardy in the first year. The young plant is therefore given a layer of compost, brushwood or leaves. If the soil is covered with peat dust or sawdust, moisture is kept out and waterlogging cannot occur.
Tip: The winter protection should be removed in spring, otherwise there is a risk of rot.