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June 2004
Perennial
Delphiniums are grown successfully in all except the hottest
and most humid areas of the USA. Of course, where do I live?
Zone 10. Great. I had read that people who grew delphinium
successfully where summers get very hot (95degF+) all used
some sort of shading to protect the plants from the worst
heat of the day. This shading usually took the form of trees
which cast a shadow over the plants. The tree could be quite
loose leafed. Adjacent trees help cool the ground too. So
I tried putting some giant delphs in just such an area, to
see what happened.
No
luck with these really for the last 2 years, then--tah-dah!
Some plants I thought were dead and gone, came back for
a surprise. In fact, it was the best show ever this year,
and I've saved some seed to see if I can grow some of the
smaller larkspur varieties from scratch next time around.
There were flowers in April & May
and since then, things have tapered off, some plants have
even gone to seed. But some of the larger Delphinium are
coming back with new leaf growth already, and hopefully I'll
get a repeat bloom in September! This is the second year
for these plants, and here in So. CA, we're lucky to get
more than one year out of these with our weather conditions,
so I'm pretty happy how these are doing!
2002
These
herbaceous plants of the genus Delphinium, popularly called
Larkspur, comprise of about 200 species belonging to the buttercup
family (Ranunculaceae).
Majestic,
showy spikes in lavender, blue, pink or white are a beautiful
asset to any garden. Delphiniums require full sun , well
drained, yet moist soil and shelter from strong winds. Taller
varieties will require staking. Flowering season is early
to midsummer. Effective when massed as a background plant,
or equally gorgeous as a specimen plant, Delphinium will
lend vertical impact to whatever garde space it occupies,
and makes an excellent cut flower, lasting 6-8 days in a
vase. (Try this old florist's
trick to keep the flowers from wilting instantly: When you
cut the stem, you'll notice it's hollow inside. Using a water
bottle or pitcher, fill the stem with clean, cool water until
it bubbles out. Then plug the end of the delphinium stalk
with a piece of cotton ball. Your cut flower can last up
to twice as long!)
Delphiniums
are heavy feeders and benefit from the use of a side dressing
of compost and periodic applications of 5-10-5 fertilizer
during the growing season, as well as from a fairly thick
mulch to keep the roots nice and moist. An occasional dusting
of lime is also beneficial. Plants should be cut back after
flowering to promote new growth and a second flush of bloom
in late summer. Watch for slugs--they love them as much as
you do! Even under the most favorable conditions, plants
lose vigor, so expect to have to replace them every 3-4 years.
Pests
and problems: bacterial leaf spot, crown rot and black leg;
fungal crown and stem rots, damping-off, powdery mildew,
leaf spots; viruses; aphids, cutworms, borers, leaf miners,
beetles, sowbugs, root mealybug, mites, nematodes, slugs.
Larkspur
spikes are easy to air dry. Harvest spikes when about four-fifths
of the florets on the spikes are open. Remove the foliage
and hang small bunches of spikes upside down in a dark, well-ventilated
area. When the flowers feel papery, stand them
upright to finish drying.
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