Aconitum fischeri

The Aconitum fischeri, also known as the Fischer's Monkshood, is a botanical species native to Siberia and Korea, considered to be very similar to Aconitum carmichaelii. It is a highly ornamental perennial plant, both for its generous and prolonged flowering and its beautifully cut foliage, with a glossy dark green color. This plant thrives in cool and rich, but well-drained soils, and is a very hardy shade plant, perfect for adding color and verticality to perennial beds. Its large helmet-shaped flowers, barely violet-blue, cluster on floral stems that usually do not require staking.

Fischer's Monkshood is a herbaceous perennial plant in the buttercup family, just like its cousin, the Delphinium. It is a wild plant native to temperate Asia and northern Asia: Korea, eastern Siberia, and northern China. In the wild, it can be found in forests, meadows, and grassy slopes, up to an altitude of 800 m (2625ft). This plant grows from a fleshy tuberous root, from which a erect tuft of slightly hairy stems emerges in spring, adorned with tough, palmately-lobed leaves with narrow lobes, measuring 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5in) long and 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6in) wide. The upper side of the leaves is a glossy dark green, while the underside is slightly pubescent. The flowering period extends from August to September-October. At the tips of the stems, helmet-shaped flower spikes bloom, with a deep blue color, slightly purplish, filtering the light beautifully. The flowering plant reaches a height of about 70 cm (28in), with a width of 45 cm (18in). At the end of the season, the above-ground vegetation dries up and disappears.

Aconites have a bad reputation due to their legendary toxicity. This is unfortunate because they have their place in every garden, as long as they have a humus-rich soil that doesn't dry out in summer. They are robust and very hardy, and their foliage is among the most beautiful among perennial plants. They are perfect for the back of borders, along with foxgloves and bugbanes, creating enchanting shaded scenes in summer. They can be planted among bushes, sheltered from the wind that sometimes bends their stems, along with Japanese anemones that will take over their flowering. They also look stunning in front of the purple foliage of Physocarpus, for example. They are good perennials for bright and slightly damp woodland areas. Lastly, their flowers are magnificent in bouquets, alongside roses and asters, for example.