by Meg Lynch, Editor
Our current issue includes a feature article about monkshoods (Aconitum), which inspired Suzanne Veverka, of White Cloud, Michigan, to send this photo and note:
"Here's a photo of my Aconitum fischeri, planted last year. It came from a local garden center. The label said 2 to 3 feet tall, so I planted it at the front of the border, where it bloomed at that height last year.
"This year it began zooming upward in midsummer, so I staked it. I stand 5 feet, 6 inches tall, so you can see by comparison that these plants are over 7 feet tall, all 3 of them. They are planted on the north side of our house, so they get direct sun for only a few days of the year (the house is quite tall). This area used to be our driveway before remodeling the house, so the soil is a base of sand covered with imported topsoil (1 or 2 feet deep) of mostly clay. There is a bark mulch covering the soil. They had no fertilizer, and minimal and infrequent watering even through this hot and dry summer. (Watering was accomplished by soaker hoses laid under the mulch.)
"When I planted, I expected the cimicifuga (blooming to right in photo) to be the focal point. It can barely be seen behind the voluptuous monkshoods--but had we placed them at the back of the border, we couldn't have opened our windows! I am delighted at their prosperity and am hoping for another frost-free month (we are Zone 4/5) so that many more of those buds will open!"--Suzanne Veverka, White Cloud, Michigan
Suzanne is wondering if anyone has had similar experiences with Aconitum fischeri--or if her plants may in fact be a different species. Just click "Comments" to leave a note!
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