Monkshood is a beautiful perennial flower with deeply cut foliage and loose spikes of dark violet-blue flowers. It establishes from Monkshood seeds and prefers damp areas with rich humus soil and persistent moistness. The Monkshood plant reaches a height of 36 - 48 inches, and it generally is sturdy enough to not need staking.

Aconitum Napellus, or Aconite, is poisonous especially the roots. The Aconite plant should never be grown with other herbs you intend to consume. After pruning the plant, thoroughly wash your hands.

Monkshood seeds can be directly sown outdoors in late fall or early winter for germination the following spring. If you want to start indoors for a spring planting, Aconite seeds needs a cold treatment.

Grow in full sun in USDA zones 3 - 8. Prefers damp areas with rich humus soil and persistent moistness.

• Place flower seeds in water or moistened soil and freeze for 3 - 6 weeks for indoor planting. Or you can direct sow in the fall on the surface of the soil, and mark the planted area clearly.
• After the cold treatment, sow 2 - 3 seeds per plant indoors in starter trays.
• Then place the trays indoors under bright lights with temperatures of 60 - 65 degrees.
• Keep soil moist until germination.
• Transplant seedlings to individual pots after 8 weeks, and then outdoors when the weather permits.
• Space or transplant 24-36″ apart.

• Water deeply and mulch plants on a regular basis.
• Stake tall plants in windy areas - the stems are quite strong, so it may not be necessary.
• Cut back to the ground in autumn.
• Divide every 3 to 4 years.