Larkspur – A Delicate Long Lasting Cut Flower – 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 fern-like 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 can 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 the difficulty of transplanting.
Larkspur likes full sun but will take part shade, 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.
Larkspur – A Delicate Long Lasting Cut Flower – If you love delphiniums but don’t have the patience it takes to grow them, these hardy annuals may cheer you up.
