Aconite, Monkshood (Aconitum napellus), packet of 10 seeds
$3.95
TOXIC–wear gloves when handling fresh plant or roots–do not ingest the plant.
Family: Crowfoot (Ranunculaceae)
Hardy to Zones 3 to 9
(Wolfsbane) Herbaceous perennial native to central Europe. An antique herb. bright purple, with hood-shaped flowers protecting profusely productive nectaries. Plant prefers part to full shade and evenly moist soils. I have mine growing within a few feet of Munger’s Creek, and the display is stunning in season. Sow the seeds in the fall for germination in the spring. Sow in outdoor conditions in the shade, in deep flats, well-screened against birds and mice. In one of our trials, seed sown in August gave partial germination in October, with the remaining seeds germinating in May. We do recognize the requirement for fresh seed and therefore replace with the new harvest yearly.
10 Seeds/pkt. Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s
Out of stock
Question
Jael Simonson Tunick –
Can this plant be grown indoors? I live in a tropical climate, but grow certain plants indoors where it’s cooler.
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Richo Cech –
hello jael, thanks for writing. Given how long it takes Aconite to mature its seed, in a way, i wish I was growing it in the tropics–might get better yield that way. one disadvantage might be that its really what we call a frost germinator, where snow load actually breaks down the seedcoat, and… you don’t have that in the tropics. richo
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Jael Simonson Tunick –
Would cold stratifying the seeds help the germination, or does the plant require wintering during its growth cycle also?
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Richo Cech –
i believe it to require winter conditions although refrigerator treatment might work. nothing is impossible in the world of seed germination, i’ve seen way too many miracles to dissuade anyone from trying. r
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Question
Amethyst Trotter –
I’ve been wanting to plant some Monkshood and possibly Belladonna in my garden but I have been hesitant since I’ve been considering getting into beekeeping as gardens and apiaries are mutualistic in thier interaction as well as expanding homemade food possibilities to include both plants and Honey. My main fear is that pollen or nectar from internally toxic plants would poison the honey or beeswax. I tried researching this online but was unable to find much beyond personal anecdotes which are infamously unreliable. Do you or any of your assocates have any experience with poisonous plants near apiaries?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Amethyst,
It’s ok, you can plant these things. We did and experiment once where we had a beekeeper put a whole trailer load of hives in and around our mixed medicinal herb gardens that included henbane, belladonna, foxglove, aconite, etc. Best honey ever, healthiest bees ever, it was all good. richo
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LD –
My plants are not thriving. I don’t know if it is because the soil is too compact or whether it is not wet enough. I just put it in regular garden soil, but the rains make the soil so hard. Are these water plants?
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Richo Cech –
hello LD, if the soil is hard, probably best to mulch it over with some organic compost. That will help. Aconite is slow-growing and can fool you–looks like nothing’s happening but the root is expanding. Give it some compost and some time. Richo
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Question
jackalvic (verified owner) –
Do these need to stay in a moist area? Or will shade and watering once a week work? TN 7b.
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Richo Cech –
Hi there! Most plants need frequent watering to get established and then once they get their roots down watering frequency maty be reduced. I have a patch of these plants and it is in the shade and it does get watered once a week!
Richo
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Richo Cech –
after harvest, late summer
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Question
Erica Reyes –
Will these be available this season? Did I miss out on the potted plant and seeds for the year? I hope not! You’re the only source I’d buy from 🙂 you come highly recommended by Harold Roth, a favorite author.
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Mayche Cech –
Erica,
I do think its worthwhile to hit “waitlist” on aconite plants, because we often reassess after the first wave of shipping and may have more to send out. Please feel free to check our website in January to get the best selection–that is when we enter our main inventory for spring sales.
Richo
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julie_carlson (verified owner) –
The seeds arrived before I even expected them, I have them all planted in peat pots indoors so they have a good start before going outside. I am not expecting germination due to my own error. I used the wrong notes for prepping and planting them. So I’ll probably reorder these closer to fall. Again the seeds are perfect, the human (me) planting them goofed up.
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john Hayden –
Will I have any luck if I planted indoors in march. I’m in Kentucky
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Richo Cech –
Hello John,
Thanks for your interest in Aconitum. They are known as frost germinators and usually indoor planting gives no results–if you’ve still got frosty outdoor conditions in KY you can plant outdoors. I did see that the shippers are sending out some very reputable potted plants of aconite right now so you may want to check into that option. Richo
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Question
Kristie Bramwell –
Is it too late to plant wolfsbane seeds in Portland, OR or should I wait to order fresh seeds this coming fall? If I order now and cold stratify for a couple of weeks do you think that would be ok?
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Admin Richo Cech –
It is not too late to plant our fresh aconite seeds, it is plenty cold out!
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Christopher (verified owner) –
Would I be able to plant my seeds currently? I just ordered them and it isnt getting above 50 degrees farenheight where I live, if not would the seeds keep till next fall?
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Admin Richo Cech –
Please plant aconite seeds immediately–they are from the recent harvest and do not store well. Please follow directions on packet–these require a warm/cold/warm stratification schedule.
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Laurie –
Should I order/plant now for Western NY area, or wait til fall? Temps are about 50s daytime, 40’s nights still.
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Admin Richo Cech –
I plant these in the fall for germination in the spring
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RK –
What is the shelf life of the seeds? What happens after their shelf life is completed?
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Richo Cech –
Hello RK,
Thanks for getting in touch. Aconite seeds remain viable for about 2 years. Since they are frost germinators a lot of gardeners and seed-testers have trouble demonstrating their viability. I had an Indiana State Chemist test 2-year-old material and tell me that the seed was zero germ, then planted the same seed in outdoor conditions and ended up with a nice flat of Aconite plants. When crop allows, we replace our Aconite seed yearly with new crop material.
Richo
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Colonel Ewen –
Hi Admin. I’d like to know if this plant is viable in zone 8 and when is a good time to plant.
I live in SE Cochise county, AZ and just purchased Verbena hastata for indoor growing, so
I’m also interested with the Wolfsbane as well.
Kind Regards,
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Richo Cech –
Hello Colenel Ewen,
Thanks for getting in touch. If you click on the photo you will get the monograph: Hardy to Zones 3 to 9. These are known as “frost germinators” in that they require cool soils and outdoor treatment for germination. I planted a flat with both the monkshood and the chinese aconite on 8/24/2019 and the seeds were up within 60 days, with ongoing germination to date. You might still be able to make use of early spring temps if you plant right away.
Richo
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Terry –
Do I need to handle the seeds with gloves?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Terry,
You can wear gloves if you’re concerned about it–some people are quite sensitive to such things and prudence never hurts. My approach is to handle the seeds with my hands and wash my hands afterwards. Transdermal movement of aconite alkaloids does occur, but as far as I know you pretty much need to be working with fresh roots and wet hands for an extended period to experience any effects.
Richo
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