Planting, Growing, and Caring for Delphinium
Oh, the delightful delphinium! The stalwart of many summer flower gardens, these showy perennials are grown for their long, colorful spikes in blue and other gorgeous hues. Flowering all summer, delphiniums are butterfly and hummingbird magnets, too! Learn how to plant, grow, and care for delphiniums.
About Delphinium Flowers
Delphinium is a genus in the Ranunculaceae family. (They’re often confused with larkspur, which are a different plant species.) There are more than 300 delphinium species, so there is quite a variety of heights, from dwarf hybrids to 6-foot tall beauties, so they can be planted in the front, middle, or back of a perennial border. The blue delphinium is most common, but varieties also come in gorgeous shades of violet, pink, white, red, and purple. They are popular in both cottage-style and cutting gardens.
Most delphiniums are short-lived perennials, lasting 2 or 3 years in the garden. Some varieties will bloom throughout the entire summer if the plants are cut back regularly. Other hybrids bloom from early to mid-summer and will produce a second flower display in late summer or early fall if you cut off the old flower stalk.
What’s important to know about delphiniums is that they will thrive if you meet their specific conditions. Delphiniums prefer moist, cool summers; they do not fare well in hot, dry weather or sudden wind or rain, which can knock them down. Most varieties will need staking. See more details below.
Are Delphinium Poisonous?
Yes, delphiniums are highly poisonous. If seeds and seedlings are ingested, they can cause nausea, twitching muscles, paralysis, and even death. This is mainly a concern for grazing animals such as cattle, horses, and sheep, and it is also a caution to gardeners with small children.
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Growing
- Delphiniums are heavy feeders. Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer starting in early spring every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Insert sturdy stake supports no later than mid-spring or when the plants reach 12 inches high.
- Do not allow the soil to dry out, but avoid puddling. Water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
- For ideal flower spikes, thin side shoots at 3 inches high, leaving 2 or 3 shoots on young plants and 5 to 7 shoots on mature, well-established ones.
- Deadhead by cutting spent flower spikes back to small, flowering side shoots.
- After delphiniums have finished blooming, cut flower stalks to the ground, and new, though smaller, flower stalks will develop. The flowers will survive the coming cold days and even light frosts. (See local frost dates.)
- Every 3 to 4 years, divide plants in spring: Remove and replant the new little plants growing around the outside of the clump. Discard the hard old heart.
Types
- Belladonna Group: blue flowers native to North America; easier to grow and longer-lived than varieties in the Elatum Group (below); upright, loose, and branching perennials; secondary flower spikes extend bloom period into autumn; 3 to 4 feet tall. ‘Blue Donna’ has clear, blue flowers.
- Elatum Group: tallest varieties in shades of violet, blue, pink, and/or white; short-lived; reach 6 feet tall or more. ‘Aurora Deep Purple’ has purple flowers with a white center.
- Pacific Hybrids: 3-inch violet, blue, and pink flowers; short-lived; tolerate warm/hot climates as annuals; giant (3- to 6-foot) heirlooms and dwarf hybrids. ‘King Arthur’, 5 to 6 feet tall, has plum flowers with white centers.
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Keep the soil moist but not too wet and most delphiniums will grow well in full sun or light shade, so there is not need to trim your bush back. Cut the entire spent flower spike (stalk) back to where you see small side shoots.
Hi, May, The modern delph is the result of hybridization of species from around the world.
The word delphinium comes from the ancient Greeks whose word meaning dolphin (delphis) is a reference to the flower buds, suggesting that the buds resemble dophins.
We are not clear where you live. In temperature climates: If you set out your transplants in October, they will flower in late spring to early summer bloom. In areas with cold winters, you would seed in April or May. Protect from frost by loosly covering with pine branches.
Delphinium can be divas. A September bloom is normal for some varieties, however, if you want to improve the odds, here are tips from local cooperative extensions:
1. They like to eat a lot! Give them constant feedings with compost-enriched soil and fertilize regularly.
2. Never let them dry out. You can keep the soil evenly moist and the roots cool by mulching to a depth of 3" or 4", either with a good organic mulch or with that compost. Water well during periods of growth (in spring and after it begins its second season's growth).
3. Plant it in areas where it gets some shade during summer afternoons.
4. Over the winter, cover them with branches or mulch to protect the roots from frost heaving.
5. We aren't sure where you live, but if you get extreme colds, pick varieties that can cope well.
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