Spring Blooming Monks Hood

To make a long story short, this plant was mislabelled. I planted it last season thinking it was a ligularia of some sort. No blooms last year at all. But lo and behold lots this spring but no tell tale yellow of a lig!

Doing some on-line looking it must be Aconitum "Ivorine". I had no idea that there are MH can flower in the spring. The other Aconitum we have flowers so late in the season...sometimes into October.

Tell me about your "Monks Hood". Anyone else have "Ivorine" or any other non-blue flowered Aconitum?



This message was edited Jun 11, 2016 6:31 PM

Oh my - Looks pretty outstanding. I have Monks Hood, but mine blooms late fall.

Thank you Brenda. We like it also. I wonder if there are many that bloom early.

I don't have a clue on the early bloom. I had never seen a white one before. . . . I like it and I guess you were really happily surprised?

I tried several other colors, but haven't found them to be robust growers.
In fact, a couple died. A pink one is still a runt after several years and has never bloomed. A cultivar called 'Bicolor' has bloomed for me. It's supposed to be half white, half blue. But the white looked awfully muddy to me. But it's only a young plant so might look better as it matures? The standard blue/lavender ones are vigorous to the point of having to be reigned in, so I've been disappointed by my experience with other colors. Here's a picture of A x cammarum Bicolor.

That is a wonderful close-up 'robin. And from that distance I like your bi-color.

You might notice the stem is horizontal, a sure sign of floppage.
It was the only flowering stem. Jury is still out.
We'll see what evolves later this summer.

I have a white-flowered one that blooms in spring - Aconitum lycoctonum ssp. vulparia. Blooming right now.

Oh, I forgot - also a summer blooming white/cream one, A. lamarkii.

That's outstanding! Don't you love surprises like that?
Monkshood has never survived in my yard. I guess it's too sandy and dry.

I find mine flops when it is too dry.

That is an 'advantage' of the spring flowering one over the sometimes much later bloomers as it is more reliably moist in June rather than through the summer.

This message was edited Jun 13, 2016 11:45 AM

This message was edited Jun 13, 2016 11:46 AM

Thanks for the info 'Alta'.

This message was edited Jun 13, 2016 11:47 AM

That is a good reason to try again and look for a spring bloomer. Thanks Rouge.

I like my plain-old garden-variety fall purple/blue bloomers for several virtues:
1. They're huge and sturdy - easily 6ft tall, no staking necessary.
2. They thrive in a mostly shady position.
3. They seem to love my humidity, which around here is always a plus.
4. Isn't it nice to have beautiful blooms in late fall!!

They are impressive and it is great to have a late blooming plant. I just wish I could get them to stay. Maybe this year, I have a new area. If I get over to Well Sweep...

I was at an excellent independent nursery on the weekend and picked up a variety which according to the owner had appeared in their stock beds a few years back...a cross of some other aconitum that they carry. Anyways, its claim to fame is its height. He says it regularly gets to well over 7 feet and sometimes close to 9...on very sturdy stems. (It is a fall bloomer).

This message was edited Jun 14, 2016 8:02 AM

I am now just a bit obsessed with this genus ;).

I see there are a few climbers in the genus...so cool

(eg Aconitum alboviolaceum)

Also some dwarfs and some giants. :-)
Yes, my "white" Aconitum species do have a yellowish or creamy tone. The only ones I have that are truly white are some self-seeded white Aconitum napellus.

Acontinum haven't been happy in my garden. After coddling, they died. I'm not big on coddling. It sure sounds like fun to have some tall blooming plants in the fall.

Birder, my tall fall-blooming aconitum is A carmichaelii Arendsii. MoBot says it doesn't grow well in St Louis area (prefers areas with cool night temps). But mine isn't fussy in the least and certainly gets no coddling here. In fact, seedlings have popped up around the rest of the garden. Mine is in a pretty shady location - an open woodsy situation with rare direct sun, if at all. If it does so well here, I don't see why it wouldn't work at your place, too. You might give it a try.

Wee, thanks for the name of your Acontinum. I may try it. I like tall plants and the fact it blooms in shade is certainly tempting.

I also saw that MoBot says it's just 2-4ft - I looked at mine this morning, it's already at least 3ft. Will reach around 6ft by the time it blooms.
It's easily as tall as me (despite my name, I'm not very 'wee' ... 6'3").
I don't know if mine is some sort of anomaly. I don't fertilize.

I had a couple of stands of late Fall blooming tall Acontinum and as an experiment I did a "Chelsea Chop" to one stand. It did still bloom but of course it was much less tall.

Rouge, were you happy with this and did it extend your bloom time?

I'd be afraid to chop the late bloomers because they already bloom so late.
They're blooming around time of first frosts - I recall they're pretty resilient to frost.
But I'd be leary about delaying their bloom much longer.

[quote="Weerobin"]I'd be afraid to chop the late bloomers because they already bloom so late.[quote]

For sure. But I had hedged my bets as I had left alone one the stands so whatever happened I would still get those blooms. (In any event, as I recall, it delayed blooming by a week or so).

Aconitum lycoctonum ssp. vulparia, cream-"white" spring-bloomer (first 2 photos) and unknown dwarf Chinese species, bought as "Aconitum sp. ex. DaXue Shan", with very interesting flowers (third and fourth photos):

Very nice 'alta'! Thanks for the photos. It looks like your "white" ones have spread a bit...a very healthy stand. Do you think they seed around a bit?

Love the foliage on that vulparia!

Very nice! I agree WR, I noticed the foliage right away!

I find that most of the Aconitum I have are big self-seeders and their seedlings comprise a big part of my spring weeding!

All parts - Poisonous Plant - I know they are beautiful and I like that about them too. Just don't let your guard down when working with them. I've always kept mine in somewhat of a hidden area as I would not want any children to pick flowers from them.

Just picked up two more of this genus.

- a much smaller variety "Blue Lagoon"

and

- "japonicum" (Japanese Monkshood)

Anyone have either?

Looking forward to seeing the pictures!