Aconitums

Hi Baa, Just found this forum and thought I would offer my services on the home front as they say.

I'm starting this because of my fascination for Aconitums.

I have over 20 different cultivars/varieties and I am getting together a list of all or as many named cultivars/varieties and descriptions.

If anybody has any problems with their own I will try to help if I can. For IDing purposes post a photo of the flower and one of the leaves with a brief description and I will see what I can do.

The aim is to write a book on them and a web site dedicated to them.
If anybody does it before me I will rip off their arm and beat them with the soggy end ;oP

I have also posted this on the 'Canadian Gardening', 'Perennials' and 'Vines and Climbers' forums.

Below is Aconitum Grossdentatum taken 3 days ago.

Steve

That one is a beauty - love to learn about all these Aconitums I didn't know about! Thanks!

Hi rann

I have ordered 5 more from a nursery called Blinny Plants www.binnyplants.co.uk so there will be more photos to follow soon.

Will have to ask Dave if I can have an Aconitum forum started. If he thinks there is enough interest to warrant one.

Steve

oh, goody! Can't wait to see those photos! :-)

Steve, i love aconitums, and have tried to grow them, I succeeded to get fair sized plants from seeds, but then lost them...not sure what I did wrong, or wether it was just slugs versus plants...so I then lost my will to grow them again...

Look forewards to seeing the photos though, may rekindle my interest..

Hello Veshengo, good to see you in here :)

Never could get Aconitums to stay more than one year here, no idea why, what's their ideal situation?

sueone

Go to the 'Perennials' forum or the 'Canadian Gardening' forum and click on the Aconitum links and you will see some of my photos. Will post a few on here later.


Baa

Can you remember what varieties you were trying to grow? Different ones prefer different situations.

As a rule of thumb (interesting origins on that saying) I choose back of the border in well composted soil to retain a bit of moisture and mulch the crown with leaf mold in late autumn. I always mark the place with a cane.

I have posted for an Aconitum Forum, I'm hoping he will say yes. If not, never mind.

Steve

Veshengo,

I understand your fascination with aconitums! They have that kind of mysterious forest aura hanging around them.
I also love them.
This spring I bought a special one from a nursery specialised in unusual plants. It came without a plant label, I had written down its name somewhere but cannot find it any longer. I would be happy if you can help me identifying it.
Thanks in advance !

I send you a couple of pictures.

A detail of its flowers.

Hi Bonitin

What you have there is A. Cammarum 'Stainless Steel'. It grows to about 1.1m or 40".

Very nice specimen. What others have you got?


Steve

Thank you, Steve!

I have to disappoint you because I only have one more specimen; Aconitum napellus “ Album ”. My problem and biggest frustration is lack of space (a tiny town garden of barely 100 m2.) another problem is that to my experience aconitums disappear after blooming and leave a bare space until next spring. But the ones I have are doing very well as my garden has mainly half shadow and shadow and despite its tiny size has the aspect and atmosphere of a forest.


This message was edited Sep 24, 2006 9:59 PM

You have picked two good cultivars there. Both will brighten up the area. You could try growing some cyclamen around the bases of the Aconitums. This will also give a splash of color and some leaf when the Aconitums die back. Do a search in the Plant Files for cyclamen and you will see many that will grow in the conditions that you have.

Steve

Below is a photo of my A. Fischeri in a container under planted with a few cyclamen.

Your idea of combining the aconitums with cyclamen sounds great, only it wouldn't work in my particular situation.
I do have cyclamen in my garden, mainly the neapolitanums, but they come up quite late in the year, only showed their first blooms since last week and the leaves stay until far way into springtime when the aconitums are already full grown.
By mid July my aconitums already went off the scene to retire until next spring. In my case, Sweet wood ruff (Galium odoratum) has taken up the job of quickly covering the free spaces.
But I would like to have some more interesting aconitums, so I am glad with your initiative to start up a new thread and hopefully a new forum specially for Aconitums.

If you go to 'Dave's Garden' forum you will see 'Aconitum Forum' thread. Hopefully the more people who put their vote in there the more chance of a new forum

Have posted a list of my Aconitums on the 'Perennials' forum

Steve

Well, they have all died back. I am well pleased with the show of flowers this year, and they can only be better next year.

Time to dig up and check on the roots, divide and replant, not forgetting to label and mark where they are planted so I don't loose them. This will give me a good opportunity to photograph the process and show the different root systems.

Trivia Time

For what insect has the Aconitum evolded its flowers for?

Answer will be posted in a few days.

Steve

The humble bumble

sorry its a bit late, been working long hours.

The Answer Is .............................................. Bumble Bee!

Well done to billyporter and wallaby1

The flower of the Aconitum has developed over the centuries to be pollinated by the humble Bumble Bee. Any other insects on or in the flower are only after the nectar and will not activate the stamens that press down onto the bees abdomen.

Cleared away the old stems today and found fresh growth, only a few leaves at the moment on all but a couple, just breaking through the mulch.

My A. Hemsleyanum has survived the winter and is looking healthy and has made 3 more tubers, so I will be splitting them later in the year (will start a thread to show how its done)

Steve