Growing Monkshood
- 1). Put on a pair of gloves whenever you work around or with monkshood. The juices that exude from the stems, leaves, roots and flowers are poisonous. If they get into your mouth or an open abrasion or cut, the consequences are potentially dire. Refrain from planting monkshood anywhere close to where small children may play or in close proximity to a vegetable garden.
- 2). Use monkshood in your landscape only if you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 7. Hot summers prevent this species from thriving. Locations where a summer night’s temperatures remain below 70 degrees F are ideal for this plant.
- 3). Find a place on your property that features moist soil in which to grow monkshood. Monkshood suffers from stunted growth in a dry site. The site can be sunny or partly shady. If you live in a cooler climate, such as in USDA zones 3 and 4, plant monkshood in full sun. In the warmer regions where monkshood grows, put it where it gets a bit of shade during the afternoon hours for best results.
- 4). Support tall monkshood plants with stakes. Some have the ability to approach heights of 4 feet.
- 5). Cut the stems of monkshood back after it initially blooms in summer to try to promote another flowering period late in the growing season. While monkshood multiplies at a slow rate, when they do start to produce additional plants, you may divide the clumps and transplant them to other sites in the spring or autumn.
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