Although aconite has a high concentration of poison in all parts of its plant, including the seeds, it has long been an extremely popular garden plant. This is not only due to the striking blue coloring of many monkshood species, but also to the comparatively long flowering period.
At best, monkshood blooms all summer long
A perennial bloomer for the garden
The individual flowers on the inflorescences of the monkshood are shaped almost like a knight's helmet, hence the name of the plant. The flowering time is extended because not all of the individual flowers on a stem bloom at the same time. All in all, the monkshood (Aconitum napellus), for example, blooms from around July to September. However, the exact period also depends on factors such as altitude.
Different varieties bloom at different times
About 300 subspecies of monkshood have emerged through natural selection and breeding. Many of them bloom in particularly eye-catching colors, such as:
- Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)
- Monkshood (Aconitum lamarckii)
- Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii)
- Vining monkshood (Aconitum hemsleyanum Red Wine)
While the yellow monkshood flowers from early summer, the appropriately named autumn monkshood brings color to the perennial bed late in the year. By cleverly combining different varieties, you can harvest monkshood flowers as attractive cut flowers throughout the gardening season.
tips
If you want to use monkshood inflorescences as cut flowers, you should cut off flowers as soon as about 30% of the individual flowers are open. However, when placing in a vase, be aware that just touching this highly toxic plant can cause numbness and other discomfort.