Aconitum hemsleyanum Red Wine

Aconitum hemsleyanum 'Red Wine' is a beautiful Burgundy-red flowering form of an astonishing climbing Aconite that is rarely seen in cultivation. This Chinese perennial produces voluble stems that are adorned in late summer with characteristic Jupiter's helmet-shaped flowers, whose wine-red colour is perfectly highlighted by pretty dark green palmate leaves reminiscent of maple leaves. You will install it in a cool and semi-shaded area of the garden, in humus-rich soil with a tendency towards acidity, on a trellis or among bushes that will provide support.

Originating from central and western China, where it is mainly found at the edge of forests, the Aconitum hemsleyanum is a climbing herbaceous perennial of the buttercup family, like its cousin Delphinium. The 'Red Wine' selection distinguishes itself from the species by the Burgundy-red colour of its flowers. This plant develops from a fleshy tuberous stump from which voluble stems emerge in spring and can reach up to approximately 2.40 metres (8 feet) by winding around the branches of neighbouring plants. These stems bear broadly triangular leaves, divided into 3 lobes with toothed edges. These leaves are shiny, with a dark green colour. In August-September, at the tips of the floral stems, spikes with up to 12 flowers bloom, topped by a large helmet-shaped petal taller than wide, whose substance wonderfully reflects the light. The hemsleyanum species, like all Aconites, is toxic in all its parts. The above-ground vegetation disappears in winter.

Aconites suffer from a bad reputation due to their legendary toxicity, which is a great pity because they have their place in all gardens, in moist to wet soil depending on the species. They are robust, very hardy, and their foliage is among the most beautiful among perennial plants. They are perfect in the background of flower beds, in the company of delphiniums, foxgloves, and baneberries, for enchanting shaded summer scenes. They can be planted among bushes, sheltered from the wind that sometimes bends their stems, in the company of Japanese anemones that will take over or accompany their flowering, depending on the varieties. Aconitum 'Red Wine', which prefers slightly acidic soils, will thrive alongside hydrangeas and Japanese azaleas. Its Burgundy flowers will be enhanced by the purple foliage of Physocarpus or Rodgersias. Like foxgloves, it is a good plant for light and cool woodlands.