Aconitum

[Véronique Macrelle]

I have been trying to obtain climbing Aconitum for several years.

 I got some seeds of Aconitum vilmorinianum and Aconitum episcopale from the SGRC.
Could the person who sent them tell me how he grows them at home?
 on the internet, for the little that one reads, one sees everything and its opposite, ex sec /fresh.
 Also, the two species are sometimes considered synonymous, is this the case?
the seeds do not react in the same way, and it seems to me that they were a bit different.

 I have an excellent germination of Aconitum episcopale since 3 days  (seeds sown in march, rehydrated gently on wet paper + ga3) Will they be able to flower this year?

[Carolyn]

Veronique,
i spoke to the friend who donated these seeds (he does not participate in the forum). He gave me some fresh seeds 2 years ago. I sowed them fresh in the autumn and they germinated in spring. Fresh seeds are better than dry, but I have had A hemsleyanum dry from the seed exchange and some seeds germinated. When the seedlings get a bit bigger, pot them up individually and plant them out in late summer. Mine are just coming into growth again just now in the garden. The main problem is slug damage. My answer to this is to plant lots of seedlings and hope that some will survive.
My friend bought his plants from Crug Farm Plants (so these should be the correct names) and he says that each species is different. I doubt if you will have flowers this summer - i had no flowers last year - but maybe a few in the second year?
My friend does not give the plants any special treatment and they grow well (in South West Scotland)
Good luck with your seedlings.

[Leena]

I haven't tried climbing Aconitums, but normal ones always take two winters to germinate here, so patience is needed with them.

[Véronique Macrelle]

oh! for once, I think all the seeds are germinating!
so they are tight: you transplant/ split them at what stage?

I have been trying Aconitum hemseleyanum every year for at least 7 years, and I only get a few seedlings that end up badly with slugs, as you say.

 and even with A. vilmorinianum, here is one that is starting to germinate!

perhaps it works better because I rehydrated the seeds gently for a few days on damp paper towels...
[Slugs: [/b] This year, to limit slug damage, I'm trying to transplant the seedlings in the garden by putting a bell (or an upturned jar) over them until they are a bit hardened off.

I figure that under a cloche, the little plants give off less of a slug-attracting smell. I had already noticed that it worked for courgettes that we had just transplanted.
Well, it's good for now or for plants in the shade, so that they don't cook with the greenhouse effect.
 since 1 week, it seems to work remarkably well for 2 small Mutisia of 2 cm high and for seedlings of Meconopsis.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Carolyn]

Veronique,
I think you will need to transplant your seedlings while they are quite small, if you have a lot in one pot. Good luck in the slug battle! Apparently molluscs are supposed to be the gardener’s friend nowadays, according to the RHS….. not when they have eaten my precious seedlings!

[Véronique Macrelle]

thanks Caroline and Leena

I have already transplanted about 30 of them at the cotyledon stage, it seems to be going well, contrary to what I thought.

 on this newsletter "l'Alpigenistes" (interesting) on Aconitum, the author describes Aconitum hemseleyanum 'Red Wine' as a much more vigorous hybrid than the type species.
 Have you also found this to be true?

https://alpinegiste.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/alpinegiste_bulletin_dinformation_numero_6_hiver_2021.pdf
putting the link here will make it easier for me to find it in the internet jungle.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Carolyn]

Thanks for the link to L’alpinegiste, some interesting articles to read.

In answer to your question about A hemsleyanum ‘Red Wine’ - I don’t know! This year I have germinated one seedling of this and will wait and see…