Delphinium (larksput) is another on of those “jump out at you” colorful plants that are impossible to miss in a garden.
They can be a little tricky to carry over year to year even though they are a perennial, but what a joy to see them in bloom in late spring to early summer. They will put on a show that can be seen from afar because of their array of deep colors to an almost iridescent or fluorescent coloring. They should be in bloom at this writing so keep your eyes open for these beauties.
I planted a light blue “butterfly” delphinium in my garden a number of years back and while I expected the usual spike of blue coloring, what I got was a whole lot better.
Now if you have ever had a flower that you thought you couldn’t get quite enough of, this was it. One had to keep going back and looking again and again because of its brilliance. It reached 4 feet in height with a candelabra-shaped spread of 3 feet of sheer light blue iridescence. It was one of those shows that you could hardly believe your eyes and hoped it would never fade.
The show was much too short lived, however, as it waned after a couple of weeks. Now I had to wait another whole year to drink in that beauty again, and sad to say, the first year’s display was the most powerful and beautiful. Each succeeding year seemed to bring less than that first year’s explosion of color, height and spread.
This is somewhat typical of these, so plan to divide them every third year. Apparently conditions were perfect that first year and they decided to show off for me. I keep wandering why I didn’t take a picture of it.
Delphiniums will do best in full sun and in a rich but well-drained soil. Plan to add humus or well-rotted compost to a depth of 15 inches for best results. Though they don’t like continuous wet feet, they will benefit from a regular daily watering. Plan on fertilizing each with a balanced fertilizer (like 10-10-10) when first planted and scratching it into the soil and then watering it in. Fertilize them again just before blooming being careful not to destroy newly developed roots.
Their blooming period can be extended by snipping expired blooms or even cutting back the plant to just above the branching or to 6 or 8 inches above the soil surface to bloom again later in the season.
There is an array of colors, and while the various blues are the most prominent and the most sought after, there are white, red, pink, violet and yellow also available.
Also available are dwarf varieties that reach only 2 feet in height and stately giants that can reach 6 feet. They will create elegance in what is typically called an English cottage garden setting or simply a focal point in any garden. Some gardeners like to create a backdrop of delphiniums because of their height and showy colors.
The larkspur seeds are also available anywhere garden seeds are sold however these are commonly the annual variety.
Plan to stake the top-heavy hollow-stemmed delphiniums early on. I’d advise you to do this when plants are young and before root development expands so you don’t destroy tender roots. Push bamboo stakes deep into the soil and tie with green garden tape as the plant develops.
Most delphiniums grown today are hybrids and are great for cutting for fresh flowers that will last for a couple of weeks.
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Related Photos
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A delphinium butterfly flower. TOM YODER | THE GOSHEN NEWS
Delphinium a show-stopping plant
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