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Thursday 2 October 2008

Did I "Alienate' my Monkshood ?

One of my first serious plant love affairs was with "Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’ .. I had no idea what it was going to turn out like those years ago .. and when I saw it in the Autumn, in its full splendor .. BANG ! I adored it .. we had a happy life for about 4 years .. then Kingston switched "batters" in winter to the treacherous almost the real deal HORRIBLE ice storm demon weather thing. Some how the monkshood stalks cracked .. allowing rain to fill up and then FREEZE .. I think you know the end result .. the demise of one of my Autumn Loves.
I tried a few other cultivars because I couldn't find my original one for a couple of years .. they were not up to snuff at all.


So I was too happy to finally find the right one this past Spring .. I planted it in just about the same spot as my previous love .. hoping that it would take to its new home. Well it did more than that .. it shot off like a rocket .. I had never seen one so tall as it was getting. I panicked ... thinking that if we had bad wind and rains this new love would be battered and spoiled. So I pinched it back .. thinking it would be sturdier (this cultivar is very sturdy on its one usually) .. and now look what I have created.

Alien heads ... you can't tell me they don't look like the head of that "Alien" movie .. They popped up in the plant structure so oddly I have a hard time looking at it, let alone taking pictures .. so if anyone has ever had this happen to them .. please tell me I'm not going to have that "squid kid" burst out of my chest ????

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow - guess I should try pinching back next year. Mine are also just beginning to bloom and they are gorgeous.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi there "A" ? LOL
I normally would not have done the pinching back thing .. this guy is usually fine with its own timetable and structure .. but wow ! how weird the flower heads are looking, has me wondering ? : )

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Joy this is too funny. You have the most vivid imagination:)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Debbie .. I can say the same thing about you girl ! .. anymore sock eating buggie life forms biting you guys in bed ?? hahaha .. I still shudder over that one !

Anonymous said...

I have no idea Joy, mine up & died on me this past spring after not being very prolific in its' blooms for 5 years.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey PG .. isn't it weird how some plants do that to us after we have been so nice to THEM ?? LOL

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

LOL alien heads. Maybe they are dressing up for Halloween?(-:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Cindee .. I think that is what is going on girl ! They are in the Halloween mood ... yippeeeee ! LOL