• beautiful blue late bloom
• much sturdier than summer flowering Monkshood
• attractive glossy foliage
• deep violet, blue large hooded flowers more like a delphinium
• will grow in sun or part shade
• not fussy about soil but should not dry out completely
• makes a beautiful cut flower flower
• 6′-7′ tall
• perennial

Autumn Flowering Monkshood or Wolfsbane against the October leaves of Amur or Ginnala Maple, Acer ginnala

I have mentioned this plant before in ‘Extending the Season’. I love this stunning fall flowering plant in the perennial border. Mine is in full bloom now, October 10th 2023. This date can be a downside, as this form of Aconitum requires a long season. If it suddenly gets very cold, it will stunt the flowers but mine has bloomed in late September early October for the last few years. A few degrees of frost do not affect it. Alongside Fall Flowering Asters, Globe Thistle and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, this plant provides flowers at a time of year when most perennials are finished for the year. It combines so well with the turning foliage of an Amur Maple or Euonymus. As it is tall, it needs to be combined and underplanted with medium height perennials such as Fall Asters. Be careful when buying that you check the label for full identification as a young plant can easily be confused with Summer flowering Monkshood, although when compared the foliage is much more succulent and glossy.

A big bonus with all plants belonging to the Aconitum family is that they are poisonous to most creatures, certainly to mammals. I had wondered about ungulates as in my neighbourhood the deer have taken to eating Rhubarb leaves, also poisonous but the deer population does not appear to have depleted. Most gardeners appear to concur deer have not touched this or other Monkshoods. There are many forms , white, pink and other members of the Aconitum family to consider when looking for deer proof plants.