Habitat: sun or partial shade
Soil: any good garden soil
Height: 2 m
Flowering: mid to late summer
Width: 1.0 m
The monkshoods are good perennials, slowly forming multi-stemmed plants. Some are tall species, and at the other extreme there are dwarf, high-altitude alpines. All have spikes of characteristic hooded flowers.
Aconitum piepunense is extremely rare in cultivation, possibly never offered before we did. It is tall, with unusually loose, open spires of flowers, pale blue. The individual flowers are not large, and it is not a showy plant, but it is elegant. We were originally given a single seed, which turned into a plant that has grown in our garden for about ten years, and has at last produced sufficient seed to give a crop. Piepun is an ancient name for what was later known as Chungtien, then Zhongdian, and now (sadly) Shangri La.
9 cm pot £4.00
| Aconitum cammarum var. bicolor is a striking form of a popular and reliable plant, with rich blue-and-white monkshood flowers. Ideal as a cut flower when grown in a sunny border, it also grows well in a woodland setting. It is widely used in cottage-style gardening. Would benefit from staking. | |
| Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii Group has spikes of large, blue, hooded flowers in summer. The glossy dark-green leaves are also attractive. It is ideal as a cut flower when grown in a sunny border, but it also grows well in a woodland setting. | |
| Aconitum hemsleyanum is one of the climbing species, making more stems each year. They climb up neighbouring shrubs and then produce their clusters of up to 10 large, deep purple-blue flowers, with the typical monkshood shape. | |
| Aconitum napellus is an erect perennial with deeply cut, dark green leaves and colourful spikes of many indigo blue flowers in mid summer. |