Aconitum cammarum Eleonora

The Aconitum 'Eleonora' is a hybrid aconite with an upright and compact habit, adorned with a delightful and long summer flowering of subtly nuanced white with hints of blue. This rare and elegant variety produces spikes that slightly bend under the weight of well-stacked flowers, resembling an ancient helmet, towering over a clump of thick and beautifully palmate leaves. Thriving in moist to wet and rich soils, this perennial is a beautiful plant for gently sunny borders, partial shade, or even not too dense shade.

The Aconitum x cammarum 'Eleonora' is a horticultural variety, belonging, like all aconites, to the Ranunculaceae family. The flowering plant measures approximately 60 cm (24in) in height, with a width of 30 to 40 cm. This deciduous perennial, highly resistant to cold, emerges from the ground in spring and disappears underground in winter. The abundant flowering of this variety begins in June and lasts until August. Clumps of leaves emerge from numerous branched, vertical, green-coloured flower stalks. Its elongated flowers, shaped like a helmet, have a pale yellow throat, with a corolla in a broken white shade edged with soft blue-purple. This plant develops from a fleshy tuberous stump, from which an erect clump of sparsely hairy stems emerges in spring, adorned with tough, palmate leaves deeply lobed along the edges. The leaves have pronounced veins and a slightly glossy bright green colour. All parts of this perennial are highly toxic.

Aconites suffer from a bad reputation in gardens due to their legendary toxicity, which is quite regrettable because these favorites of botanical gardens have their place in all gardens with moist soil. They are robust, very hardy, and their foliage is among the most beautiful among perennial plants. Not to mention their dazzling flowering, ranging from almost white to gentian blue. They are perfect for borders, alongside delphiniums, asters, ligularias, and rodgersias, for example. They can be planted among bushes, with Japanese anemones, especially this Eleonora variety, which appreciates light shade. Like foxgloves, they are good perennials or clear and fresh woodland areas. Finally, their flowers are beautiful in bouquets.