![]() ![]() This is a plant that can thrive in full sun or a shady location. If you purchase transplants or have been given a gift of monkshood, it may not respond well to being moved and will look droopy for a while, but usually by the second season it should be fine. (This method will work for tree seeds and other difficult to germinate perennial seeds.) To help avoid fungus or mold problems, spray the pods with a fungicide, then insert the seed. This can be accomplished by sowing the seeds directly in the garden in autumn, or by cold-stratifying them before sowing indoors.” (Home Guides)Īn easy way to stratify these seeds is to sow them in peat pods, moisten them – not soaking wet – and then insert the pods in plastic bags or a plastic container with a lid and store them in the crisper drawer for several weeks. (I browsed the Internet, and there were many links advertising the sale of seeds or plants or both.) “Monkshood grows reliably from seeds when they are exposed to cold temperatures for several weeks to break their dormancy. You can buy plants or seeds through wildflower sources or collect seed from friends who have the plant in their flower beds. Because of its height and fall blooming time, many gardeners plant it at the back of perennial beds. Monkshood has sturdy stems and when planted in full sun rarely needs staking. Having said that, if you have small children you might want to wait to plant any of these until they are old enough to understand the danger. Datura, castor bean and foxglove are highly poisonous. Monkshood isn’t the only very toxic plant that many of us love to grow. Accidental poisoning has happened because people did not realize the danger. ![]() ![]() Aconitine first stimulates and later paralyzes the nerves of pain, touch, and temperature if applied to any mucous membrane.” (Dave’s Garden, article “Monkshood a Deadly Beauty” by Todd Boland) Rather than being afraid to add this plant to the garden, treat it with respect and educate the family on its poisonous properties and how to handle it. “All parts of Aconitum, especially the roots, are full of an alkaloid called aconitine. Although this plant has been given many names over the nearly 150 years it has been in North America, the one most familiar to us is monkshood. ![]() Wolfsbane Aconitum can be found growing wild in mountainous regions in the northeast United States and Europe. In those early days, wolfsbane was mixed in rotting meat and left where wolves would find it, and arrow tips were dipped in poison made from the plant to aid hunters when killing marauding packs of animals or for warfare. It is said the plant received this name because the plant was used to kill wolves and ward off werewolves. This line is from the 1941 film “The Wolf Man,” which is not as explicitly gory as horror films are today but nevertheless creepy and worth watching on All Hallows’ Eve just for the fun of it.Įven though the film is fantasy pure and simple, the very name wolfsbane conjures up dark visions because of its poisonous properties. “Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the Wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” It seemed appropriate and fun and since I have talked about other poisonous plants in Gardening Bits, thought I'd add this one to the list. A few years ago I wrote this article for our local newspaper at Halloween time. ![]()
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