If you love delphiniums but don’t
have the patience it takes to grow them, these hardy annuals may cheer you up.
Their flower spikes look like those of delphiniums, but are shorter and more
delicate. Heights vary, but two feet is common. Colors are shades of blue,
lavender, pink, purple, salmon and also white. Some are branched and some are
upright. 12 inches dwarfs are also available. Plants have attractive fernlike
foliage. The bloom period is not as long as it is for some annuals as flowers
peter out before summer’s end; but larkspur makes an excellent long lasting cut
flower.
Moreover, if you want to grow
Larkspur, then you need to sow seeds directly in the garden as early in spring
as you can work the soil or in warm climates, in late summer to produce some
growth on plants, which will bloom in early spring. In cold regions you an sow
about the time of the first frost and let the seeds lie dormant in winter for
early bloom. Seeds started indoors should be sown in peat pots and thinned to
one plant for each pot to minimize difficulty of transplanting. Larkspur likes
full sun but will take part shaded, and prefers part shade in hot zones. Plants
in the garden should be at least a foot apart, in fertile, well drained soil.
Keep roots cool with a light mulch, especially in hot climates. Tall plants may
need staking.
