Perennials: Delphinium Blues, 1 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
Hmmmmmmm, teh Pacific Giants do die after a year or two, although I have some hybrids which are still alive after a few years, in their 7th year. They have crossed with each other, and a white with black bee dwarf Fountain hybrid, and I have lots of self sets which I leave to get on with it. I tried Astolat, it died after a year, but have some others I bought as Clark's Choice from J Parkers. They were shown as a light blue with dark bees, but are the rich metallic blue purple which has been around now for a few years, and I love, and they do return although slugs do eat some new shoots, and they are not huge, but alive after a few years, the bed was done in 2002. A google doesn't show it up.

I grew D belladonna Oriental Blue from seed, they also went in the same bed in 2002. The bed is where I have later growing species Dahlias which grow tall, to 5'. It doesn't get sun in the winter, and only gets sun past midday in the summer. The Dahlias probably shelter them too, we had a very hot summer last year and I think they are still alive, it was also very dry for months. I hope they are still alive, they have self set occasionally but earlier as I cleaned the bed some were hoed out, after I composted the bed with leafy compost they stood a better chance, it probably helps them survive too. I have very poor sandy soil in that spot, and they feed only from the compost, fertiliser may not suit them. I know the species Dahlias like poor soil too.

I don't have many decent pics of those, they are hard to capture the 'blueness', this one of Clark's Choice was from last year, still surviving, it always gets some shoots nibbled when emerging so must be tasty. You can see the species Dahlias are still small at that time, they don't smother the Delphiniums but might give some cool shelter.