Since the sixteenth century English Gardeners have planted Winter Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) to bring Spring that little bit closer. Flowering from mid February the little yellow blooms lift the spirit by revealing along with snowdrops that Spring is not to far away.
They belong to the buttercup family Genus and on the many cold days of late winter their blooms will remain tightly shut, unless the temperature reaches around 10c.
Planted under a large deciduous tree they will thrive as they seem to appreciate partial shade. They will also quickly naturalise and spread if left alone, they are not great lovers of being moved but if you must wait until after they have finished flowering. Winter aconites rely on early bees roaming out and about for pollination because they spread by seed.
New tubers (bulbs) purchased from your garden supplier should be planted in reasonably well drained, moist, fertile soil at a depth of around 5cm (2 inches)
They are happiest in more alkaline soils, although they will tolerate more acid conditions but the speed at which they naturalise and spread will be somewhat slower.
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They're not commonly grown here. Quite embarassed to say I've got about 3 - so much for spreading. There's too much going on in their little corner of the garden for them to make much progress. However, one of the best displays I've ever seen is at the Eastman Kodak House in Rochester New York - growing under a massive Beech - the ground is covered in soft yellow in March and stretches as far as the branches do above. I think it is the sort of bulb that really looks best in masses.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara, I hope your 3 will spread eventually despite all the other activity going on. The New York ones sound fabulous, I wonder how many they started with?? Ideal site to plant them under a big Beech, I agree with you they do look better when there's lots of them. Good to hear from you Barbara, thanks for leaving your comment. Regards, Simon.
ReplyDeleteThis is nice blog post.....Great work keep it continue....
ReplyDeleteHello, and thankyou very much for your kind comment. Best wishes, Simon.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever go to Heale House, near Salisbury, for the snowdrop and aconite walk? We went last month - it was quite impressive.
ReplyDeleteHi Matt, Yes always love a visit to Heale house. The snowdrop and aconite walk is wonderful, so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for leaving a comment much appreciated. Regards Simon.
ReplyDeleteI love my early Winter Aconites. There are only about three clumps and I wish I had more. Last spring I took some seeds from the plant and now wonder when I plant them and if you can extend them by seed? Is it too late to plant them now..Nov.? Any information would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteKatherine
Hello Katherine.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your interest in my blog and your question. Thanks for the photo, quite wonderful. Aconite seeds should be planted in the Autumn in trays of compost with a glass covering and placed outside. This is because the seeds need to be frosted several times in order to germinate. When spring arrives bring the trays inside either your greenhouse if you have one or a sunny window sill. You should soon see the shoots push through and the when large enough to handle, plant them out where you want them to grow. It should be noted that aconites will naturally spread given time.
Hope this helps.
My very best wishes and kind regards,
Simon Tinks-Davis
At last I have a name for the flowers I have in my back yard! Your blog has solved my problem - now I know I can try to transplant some of my winter aconites!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Hi there, glad you've found out a little more about Aconites here. Great that you now feel you can transplant some. Thanks for letting me know good to hear from you. Regards, Simon
ReplyDeleteThis is nice blog post.....Great work keep it continue....
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ReplyDeleteMy aconites have just flowered - 5th March 2015. That is a bit late, isn't it. However the daffodils haven't bloomed yet so everything seems a little later this year.
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