Monkshood mystery

Question

Good morning.  Last year I started incorporating various monkshood varieties in order to have an ongoing Blue show over the summer. ( I’m in central PA, zone 6b,7a) I’ve found this plant a bit frustrating at times.

What cultivars would you recommend for early to mid summer?
Have you been able to find the stainless steel variety? If so where?
Have you seen monkshoods plants “disappear”? I’ve read that they can be “ephemeral”, are “sometimes finicky about transplanting” as well as a story by my daughter in law who said in her moms garden they would disappear for a season or two??? Quite a few of my newly transplanted monkshood, seemingly healthy, just “ disappeared” a few month in while others didn’t???
Is this a known phenomenon and will they come back or do they need to be replaced? Has anyone been successful in growing them from seeds? ( I’ve been uniformly unsuccessful Using direct sow, indoor start and winter sow)

Thanks for you insight

Respectfully

David Goldenberg
[e-mail]

dgoldenberg49 Hummelstown, PA(Zone 7a)1h ago
Sep 25, 2019

Answer 1

These are, notoriously, difficult. This will not matter the cultivar. They can disappear for quite some time, sometimes returning and sometimes not. They will not tolerate transplant very well at all and the site needs to be selected carefully.

As for where to buy- We don’t usually offer that information. I would recommend checking local resources, or online resources such as Amazon, Ebay, or Etsy.

This article will help you with the care of the plant: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/monkshood/growing-monkshood-plants.htm