Monkshood is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 7 and shrugs off deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for native bees.
Monkshood — the short answer
Monkshood: grown in zones 3–7, part sun.
- USDA zones
- 3–7
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Monkshood on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether monkshood actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score monkshood against your land's real conditions.
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What Monkshood is
Monkshood grows as a perennial and reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Monkshood
Monkshood grows in USDA zones 3 through 7. Monkshood does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
3-7
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
Data pending
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
4 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant monkshood in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match monkshood's needs before planting.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut monkshood blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Monkshood thrives
Monkshood is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 7. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–7 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 10°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 23 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–7·Where Monkshood growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Monkshood stands, state by state
Monkshood is rated for zones 3–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 23 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–7
23 states
3 of 23 shown
The line runs through
25 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 25 shown
Monkshood’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Monkshood
Growing guides for monkshood
In rotation planning, monkshood counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — monkshood is toxic to dogs and cats and horses (lethal severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Monkshood offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Monkshood's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Monkshood will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether monkshood actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Monkshood
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Monkshood in my zone?
Monkshood grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 7 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Monkshood?
Time monkshood to your own season rather than the calendar. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Monkshood need?
Monkshood does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Monkshood need?
Specific pH data for monkshood is pending. It prefers well-drained ground. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.
Does Monkshood attract pollinators?
Yes — monkshood's flowers are a solid nectar source for native bees.
Is Monkshood safe for pets?
Monkshood is toxic to pets (dogs,cats,horses) with lethal severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Monkshood
Monkshood state by state
Every state monkshood's zone reaches — 2 link straight to that state's monkshood growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.