Home › The Perennial Garden › The Perennial Garden (Aconitum Monkshood Aconitum)

The Perennial Garden (Aconitum Monkshood Aconitum)

Aconitum, Monkshood. Aconitum is one of the most beautiful and stately of the autumn blooming perennials. Their chief blooming period is September, with the exception of one June blooming variety.

They grow in sun or shade and in almost any garden loam, but do best in very rich soil and partial shade. The roots and some of the flowers have a deadly poison, so it is not safe to grow it where children can play with it. Propagation may be done by division of the roots in late fall or preferably spring. They are best left undisturbed as long as they are blooming satisfactorily and growing vigorously; the length of time varies accordingly with conditions. They may also be propagated by seed sown May 15th to June 1st; transplant the seedlings when they are 2 or 3 inches high in fertile soil, in rows 8 inches apart. In the spring they can be moved to the garden for bloom the following fall. If any flower buds develop while the plants are in the nursery they must be cut off, in [44] order to conserve their energy at this stage for the formation of strong clumps.

Varieties. Spark's variety, dark blue, June. Napellus vars, dark blue and pure white. Autumnale: September, dark blue, Wilsoni September, dark blue.

Fischeri, pale blue, September-October.

Anemone Japonica, Japanese Windflower. Anemones succeed best when they are planted in partially shady situations and in a rich soil that is well drained and not too heavy. They are hardy when once established, but they do not stand much transplanting and require ample winter protection to carry them safely through severe winters. Propagation is done either by root divisions made in the spring, or by seed sown also in spring. The seed bed should be carefully prepared and the seed covered with finely pulverized soil. If a sieve be available it can be used to advantage for this purpose. Keep the seed bed well watered and shaded until germination takes place, and when the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant so that they stand about 6 inches apart, and keep them watered and shaded until growth starts, when they will be able to take care of themselves except for the weekly cultivation, and an occasional watering during prolonged dry spells. The following spring they [45] can be moved to their permanent quarters for bloom in the autumn.

Varieties. Queen Charlotte, best pink, blooms in September and early October. Whirlwind, best white, September and early October.

Our native anemones are not so effective as the Japonica group, growing only to a height of 1 to 12 feet. They prefer sunny locations, and their blooming season is early summer. Pennsylvanica, white, Pulsatilla, purple.

Anchusa, Sea Bugloss, Alkanet. Anchusa is easily grown, but it is not very long lived, the old plants produce bold, coarse foliage at the expense of bloom. They can be increased by division of the roots done in spring or fall, but propagation by means of seed is preferable. Seed sown in the open by June 1st will produce blooming plants the following June, or if the old plants are allowed to go to seed, they will seed themselves and the little seedlings as they appear may be transplanted from the garden to the nursery row and moved the next spring back again to the garden. It is best to renew the stock in this way every 2 or 3 years. All the varieties prefer sunny locations with the exception of the Dropmore variety which does better if it can have partial shade.

Varieties. Dropmore is the darkest blue of all, and [46] Courtesy of J. Horace McFarland Company DIANTHUS AND PYRETHRUM WELL GROUPED TO SOFTEN THE OUTLINE OF THE