The blue monkshood (Aconitum napellus), like many other monkshood subspecies, is extremely poisonous for the garden, but it is still very often planted as an ornamental perennial due to its striking flowers. The plant can not only be propagated by division, but can also be grown relatively easily from seeds.
How do you sow monkshood correctly?
When sowing monkshood, you should take location requirements into account, such as cool, moist places without waterlogging and humus-rich soils. As cold germinators and dark germinators, the seeds should be covered with soil and not sown too closely. Gloves when pricking protect against the poison.
Species protection: Do not collect seeds in nature
The deposits of monkshood have been greatly reduced over the centuries due to the specific location requirements and the healing powers attributed to monkshood. For this reason, many monkshood varieties are under special legal protection in many countries. That's why not only the plant parts, but also the poisonous seeds must not be collected in nature. However, specialist retailers now have a we alth of monkshood varieties available as seeds (€171.00 on Amazon) or young plants. Some of these bloom even more magnificently during the flowering period than the wild varieties of monkshood.
Choose the right location for sowing
Monkshood occurs naturally in rather cool and moist locations along streams or on mountain slopes. Although it cannot tolerate severe waterlogging, it should always have enough moisture available. Since monkshood loves humus- and nutrient-rich soils, it is also considered an indicator plant for nitrogen-rich soils. Monkshood's sun or shade requirements vary slightly from variety to variety and should be taken from the information on the seed packaging.
Other factors when sowing monkshood
When sowing monkshood, you should consider the following factors:
- monkshood is one of the cold germs
- as dark germinators, the seeds should be lightly covered with soil
- Gloves should be worn when pricking out young plants
The monkshood seeds should not be sown too close together, otherwise only very weak seedlings can form.
Tip
If you sow monkshood in the middle of your perennial beds, then you, your children and pets are less likely to come into contact with the leaves and flowers of the monkshood. This is important because the plants and seeds can be poisonous not only when eaten, but also when simply touched.
