Delphiniums....

my latest obsession - ooopps, passion, in my quest for growing everything UP - is delphiniums, anyone grow them?

I'm growing some for the first time this year. I wintersowed Delphinum "Connecticut Yankee", and "Blue Bird". I transplanted the seedlings out of their milkjugs and into pots. I'm growing 7 of them. They are really cute at this stage with their first adorable true leaves.

With not much success because they don't like it as dry and alkaline as most of my soil. I do love the blue ones so much. I planted several from the little $1 perennials at the nursery over in Woodstock several years ago. A couple of them still manage to come up every year but they're pretty sorry looking.

Lupins are another plant I just love but can't get to do well here. Maybe I'll try again with the bed next to the garage, which has some better soil.

Anyway, they should do fine in your soil. I don't think they've very long lived but you should at least be able to get some nice blooms for a few years.

BTW, you might want to try some larkspur too. They're much easier to grow than dephiniums, are an annual so you'll get blooms faster and they self sowed here.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2009 3:25 PM

I read somewhere that Delphs are bi-annuals...anyway, I ordered a variety of them from one of my favorite vendors - also some Lupines and Hollyhock - all I am missing now is Monkshoods and I'll be done with the front!

I have had some luck with them, started this one from seed in 2006, it bloomed in 2007 (this is the picture) I amended the soil with compost and I use a time release fert. in my beds. Also mulched around the plant. It's name is Black Knight. It did not make it through the following winter.
I have 2 plants growing from last years seeds, should bloom this year, They are getting some TLC from me. LOL

Bec, I used to grow them. They hate heat & humidity. They have to not be crowded and have good circulation. They may survive in DC but the stems may be weak and they probably won't get 4 or 5' tall.

Even here, my Lupine survival is disappointing, but my friend who lives near Holly, 2 hours west and about 5 degrees cooler than here, grows fabulous lupines.

Monkshood does great here. It was what I used to pacify myself with after dismal Delphinium results! Good luck!

LOL - thansk, apparently this will be an experiment! Hmmm, hate heat & humidity eh? Weeeeeeel, they gonna get lots of that here in mid summer! ^_^

Pgt, I'll be interested to see how yours do. Your temps are probably 2 to 3 degrees cooler than here. I've seen photos of your garden. They would be a lovely addition. I've never tried one at this house, maybe I'll try one.

storm,
I'm anxious to see how they too. I'm going to transplant 4 of them here, and take 3 of them up to a cottage in the mountains. They'll be more neglected up there & in poorer soil, but them temps are usually about 10 degrees cooler than they are here. I love delphiniums, but have never tried them before, I'm very anxious to see how they do. Too bad I'll probably have to wait until next year to see the flowers. It's so hard to be patient!

PGT, if there's enough sun in the mountains, they should do very well there. I once saw an immense border of them in the Canadian Rockies that were over 6' tall and the stalks were more than 2" thick!! It was a sight to behold.

Oh good! I really don't have any plants up there yet (except for the natural woods!), but I'd like to start a nice cottage garden. Happy to hear that the delph's should be happy there. I was just outside checking on my seedlings, and noticed that there were two growing together, so I separated them. Now I have 8. So I'll try 4 here, and 4 in the mountains. Can't wait to see flowers next year.

We'll be waiting for photos!

Bec--
HD has 12" pots of delphiniums (3 in the pot) that are massive and just sending up the flower spikes.....A bit pricey for me--$16.78...something....

You could go check your HD....This week all kinds of pretties will be for sale as it is Mother's Day this weekend.....You should see all the stuff!!!!!

Still kicking myself for not getting one of the Euphorbias I saw about a month ago. Now that I have seen pictures of it on DG--I am sorry i missed it....

Hey!! Brainstorm!!!! I should carry my digital camera with me at work and take pictures to share here......

Gita

LOL - yes, you should - you'd be like a walking advertisement for HD! I just received my delphs I ordered - will be unpacking them shortly - then in the ground they go this weekend - the nursery told me to keep them somewhat shaded, since they really don't like our blaring direct sun (IF we ever get sun again) and heat...

Edited to add...just unpacked them, excellent size and looking good!

Received
D. Blue Shadow
D. Clear Springs Blue
D. Summer Nights
D. Magic Fountain Dark Blue
D. MF White
D. Astolat
Digitalis Camelot
Lupine Gallery Pink

Graceful Gardens has a fantastic selection, great prices and customer service is awesome!

I will experiment with planting some in front of the house as well - I know they will get hot sun for half a day, but worth a try!

This message was edited May 7, 2009 7:24 PM

I managed to get some time outside today and got all the delphs planted - needed to dig up the Hosta that ate W'bridge to make room - it's roots were entangled in the Silverlace vine (the vine that ate and is continuing to eat the neighbors shed) and I nearly had to take a pick axe to the roots! Made a valiant effort on digging up a fern as well - ah, not so much - it is stuck forever in it's spot! ^_^ The catacombs in Rome has nothing on the underground spread of these roots!

Took a gander at the front beds and what did I see - many hours of work ahead of me, ripping up 10 000 little tree seedlings!! The builders in their ultimate wisdom planted these huge trees on our row of townhouses, they grow and grow - the roots are stretching towards the house, and this year they were COVERED in seeds that blew all over the neighborhood! Not sure what they are, the seeds had little "wings" (well, not so little) and they completely covered my front yard - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I have now found a new side job - a tree farmer and I'll supply the entire DC metro area with them!

Sounds like maples of some kind, Bec. They grow fast and are very shallow rooted, which is why the roots are such a pain in the butt, and they have winged seeds. Silver maples are the worst. They're easy to identify because the back of the leaves are silvery white. But there are umpteen other types of maple including the Japanese maples.

http://www.maple-trees.com/

Sounds about right - Silver maple - I curse the moron that came up with the idea of planting them! I had a tree guy come in 2 years ago and chop it down to half - now it's back to where it was at - huge and shady! We have another tree in the backyard - not a maple, cause the leaves are different - but just as fast growing and I regularly have to take the pruners to the branches that want to live on our deck!

Silver maples are weeds. Very large weeds. The builders threw in something that was cheap as dirt and would grow fast and let you all worry about them down the road.

That tree in the photo looks like a willow oak. They're actually pretty nice trees.

Bec, A couple of mine put out small blooms. Thank you!! How did yours fare?

Somehow I completely missed this thread. I only have one but it is a beauty. This is the second year I was very pleased to see it return for me last spring. It's Pagan Purples.

Here is a close up. I did collect a few seeds but missed getting most of them. I only have two packets, both promised and I must get them mailed soon. If it comes back for me next year I must try to be more watchful and possibly collect more seeds to share.

Holly, that is a beauty. Where did you get it?

Local nursery that was going out of business. It's my first del, I was so pleased when it returned and bloomed for me this year. I can't remember but it had at least 3 stalks maybe more.

Holly, that's gorgeous! I'll be curious to hear Becky's report on how hers fared this summer. Delphiniums are one of the plants that I miss most after moving to VA, they were just spectacular in my Maine gardens. I've always been under the impression since moving here that they just won't tolerate our heat and humidity. I'd still like to give them a try and see if I could find a spot in the gardens where it might be a little "cooler" and they might be happy.

Holly, that one is really pretty and full.
I did not have very good luck with mine, had 2 that made it from the seeds I grew. One did bloom, but it got long and the blooms were far apart. I think the up and down temps had a lot to do with that.
I will be putting more compost around them this fall.
I have noticed that my Canterbury Bells reseeded a lot in the bed so next spring the bed should be full of those. So if there is a sparse showing of the delphs again the bed will still look nice.

"storm,
I'm anxious to see how they too. I'm going to transplant 4 of them here, and take 3 of them up to a cottage in the mountains. They'll be more neglected up there & in poorer soil, but them temps are usually about 10 degrees cooler than they are here. I love delphiniums, but have never tried them before, I'm very anxious to see how they do. Too bad I'll probably have to wait until next year to see the flowers. It's so hard to be patient!"

I wanted to update on my delph's. My connecticut yankee delphiniums bloomed both here and up in the mountains their first year. Very pretty. They didn't come back this spring here, but the foliage is up and looking great up in the mountains. We do tend to get a lot of slugs here, and I wonder whether they just got consumed before they could come back up this spring. I planted a whole bunch more that I wintersowed this winter, (different varieties including a bunch of Centurions and Magic Fountains), and I'm going to be vigilant about using Escargo and Sluggo, etc to try to protect them from slugs to see if it helps. I have a few left in my jugs that I'll add to my garden up in the mountains.

I'll keep you all posted!

pgt, two that Bec gave me last year are up and blooming already. I don't know about some of the others. The blooms so far this year have been pretty, but the plants are short and the bloom stalks bent and floppy. Wonder how Bec's are doing.