Delphiniums are perennials grown for their showy spikes of colorful summer flowers in gorgeous shades of blue, pink, white, and purple. They are popular in cottage-style gardens and cutting gardens.
Delphiniums are a favorite of many gardeners, but can sometimes be a challenge. They prefer moist, cool summers and do not fare well in hot, dry weather. The plants also dislike sudden wind or rain.
Except for the dwarf perennials, most delphiniums need staking.
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i live in northern southeast
i live in northern southeast alaska and have a whole bunch of delphiniums, they survive very well here and it gets done to 20-30 below 0-F for a short time in the winter. i started out with sandy soil, added horse manure and in late fall, i put about 5" of straw all around the plants.
Delphiniums
i live in Northern Ontario, and just planted 4 new 2 ' tall delpinium plants
we had a big day of rain and one was sitting in a puddle of water
our earth is nice black mud, but should i uproot the puddle plant and let them dry out a bit in a pot
or let nature take its course tks
Delphiniums don’t like “wet
Delphiniums don’t like “wet feet” and if you have a puddle now it will happen again. The soil needs to drain well so we suggest that you dig up the plants and amend the soil with compost before replanting. Or move the plants to a “drier” location.
My delphiniums didn't come up this year
2 years ago I planted 10 delphinium plants. They all came back up last year and bloomed beautifully. This year I have six that did not come up. Any chance they'll return next year, or are they dead? I want to replace them if they won't return. I am in Clarkston, MI - zone 5b
There are a few varieties
There are a few varieties that are biennial and bloom every other year. If you planted 10 plants that were the same variety chances are that the six that didn’t come up this year are dead. It’s helpful to know the name of the delphiniums that you plant. You can then look them up and get details on the variety.
I bought my first dark blue
I bought my first dark blue delphinium in July and it already had four blooms on it. I had cut the flowers off when they lost their perkiness. After the blooms were gone I left the plant in it's original pot. About four weeks later new growth was coming from around the base while the original leaves,very dark green, slowly dried out and I cut them off at the base so more energy would go to the new leaves. I also repotted the plant. The new growth is triple the size of the original and the leaves are not dark green. Now a stalk has come up and the buds are growing. I noticed that in between the top buds are black fibers or very small skinny leaves. Is this normal? Should I pluck out the black fiber things? I live near Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a condo on the second floor. Any idea how to store it over the winter? I do have room in the basement that will go no lower than 42F degrees. Or do I put it in a styrofoam container with lid. And because of my potted situation, what care should I give it during the winter? Any help is welcome!
Cut the plant down to about 6
Cut the plant down to about 6 to 8 inches after the first killing frost in autumn. You can then store the pot in the basement. Just remember to water the plant a couple of times during the winter months just so that the roots don't get too dry.
Comments are to plant in
Comments are to plant in spring, can I split and transplant now in August? I live in nw Ontario not sure of the zone.
Hi, Trucia: Delphiniums are
Hi, Trucia: Delphiniums are not the hardiest plants to divide and transplant to begin with (starting from seed often works better), but if you do wish to divide and transplant, it's best to do it in the early spring, after they've had a chance to regroup over the winter. Then again, there might not be much to lose, so up to you. Thanks for asking!
I grew my first ever
I grew my first ever delphiniums from seeds and have 4 plants that are very tall and planted up against the porch rail that I use to give them support.
My question is...I live in zone 8b. Will my dephiniums come back next year or should I consider them as annuals?
For heat zones above zone 7,
For heat zones above zone 7, it is recommended that you grow them where they get afternoon shade. Consider them to be short-lived perennials in your zone or you can grow them as annuals.
Hi, I'm in Edmonton Alberta,
Hi, I'm in Edmonton Alberta, our Delphs are huge, tall, and full, we're very happy with them, except that once a season the rain or wind will pummel them or the weight of them will bring a bunch down, I didn't realize I could stake them, my question is this, if they're grown is it too late to stake them? The ones that have been knocked down from the wind, should I cut them back and see if they'll get a second bloom, if they do would I stake the second bloom? It's mid July so realistically In Alberta I'll get good weather all of August at least most of sept and some years we won't see first frost til early oct.
Hi, K-Mi: You can always
Hi, K-Mi: You can always stake anything at any time. What we mean by the advice above to stake when they are small is that this is the best way to help them get tall. But if yours get tall without any staking to begin with, that advice is irrelevant. So go ahead and stake what you have standing. Cut back what has fallen and then stake what regrows when that happens. Good luck and thanks for asking!
Our delphinium have never
Our delphinium have never done well. Out of the original three plants, only one survives (@ 4 years). Now that I've read all these ideas, we're going out back with manure, lime, and two new plants! Wish us luck! We live in central Massachusetts.
I have beautiful, green
I have beautiful, green foilage on my 3ft high delphiniums but never any blooms. When they were new, they bloomed the first few years. Now nothing. I keep thinning them out to no avail. Why won't they bloom?
How is the soil? Delphs are
How is the soil? Delphs are heavy feeders: they benefit from fertilizer and/or compost in spring and summer, and some say balanced fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks, in growing season. Soil must also be well draining. They do not like dry, hot climates; sound like home? They like full sun to partial shade. We're betting that this, in whole or in part, is the main issue.
Do you prune/cut off lateral flower spikes? Doing so may help the main spike to bloom.
Do you cut back stalks to basal leaves in fall? This could help but not until next season, of course.
I have a healthy looking
I have a healthy looking delphinium with about 4 flower spikes but 2 of them only have a single flower at the top of the spike and no other buds down the stem! What's going on? I live in the UK.
I have one successful
I have one successful Delphinium plant at one end of a raised bed. (I planted it last year and it came back, looks OK and is budded to bloom). I planted several more this month (May) in the rest of the bed (sandy soil with accumulated compost of several years). They are not wilted or looking distressed EXCEPT that: some of the new plants' leaves are yellow, with the green restricted to the veins, although they not curled and I don't see any insect damage. The yellowed leaves have
long petioles.
I applied generous amounts of compost today (5/31) and watered it in.
I doubt the pH of that soil is as much as 7 and wonder whether I should add lime to make it more alkaline?? But if pH is the problem, why is the first Delphinium I planted last year doing all right?
Yellow leaves with green
Yellow leaves with green veins is typically an iron or manganese deficiency, which are not typically found in commercial fertilizers. However, it may be that the pH is off and those micronutrients are in the soil, but not available to the plant. There are simple pH testing kits that you can buy at most gardening stores. Make sure that the pH is between 5.8 and 6.5, which is where most plants like it to be.
About 2 weeks ago I bought
About 2 weeks ago I bought some Delphiniums at the local big box store. I wonder if they have leaf miners? All the older leaves have dead brown edges that curl under. I don't see little lines of eggs on the back, nor actual trails I can follow moving across the face of the leaf. But large areas of the leaves are covered with light tan speckles and thin lines. The area is thickened and very stiff, with a heavy, bumpy texture on the top surface. Can anyone confirm, please?
I live in North Florida and
I live in North Florida and you can imagine the summers are hot and muggy. I know it's said that growing from seeds is difficult, but I'd like to try. Do you have any tips (if seeds do their thing) for care in this climate? I'm just concerned because: "They prefer moist, cool summers and do not fare well in hot, dry summers." and I'm a mix of the two...the better two I hope. Thank in advance.
Hi Chellina, In Florida
Hi Chellina,
In Florida delphiniums are best planted in mid- to late autumn or very early winter for spring blooms during the cooler months. They will probably not survive your humid hot summers.
Jacksonville...I got about
Jacksonville...I got about two months of beautiful blooms. Started in the fall last year.
I have started these from
I have started these from seed and it is difficult but not impossible. I live in Idaho, started seeds in the early early spring. It would have been better if I had put plastic over the pot after planting seeds as a sort of hot house, you may not need to do this with your humid weather in Florida tho. Many came up but not many survived to transplant size. Good luck!
Growing delphinium from seed
I never had any luck until I planted them in a nursery bed in the fall and let them overwinter. I imagine in Florida you'd have to refrigerate the seeds before planting them out.
Easy to grow use mycorrhizal fungi
Use mycorrhizal fungi when planting and in watering. They are EASY to start and grow this way.
I purchased a couple of
I purchased a couple of Delphinium plants from Lowes on clearance because they were a little brown. I assumed they were dry and just needed to be watered so I purchased them and mixed in Miricle Grow with the soil. I watered them and kept the soil moist. They did alright for a week but then they all turned brown (stalks and leaves). When I LIGHTLY pulled on the stalks they broke off at ground level. Did the Delphinium's die or will they come back next year?
There are several reasons for
There are several reasons for brown foliage on delphiniums. Sometimes it's overwatering. Sometimes it's lack of nutrients; delphiniums are heavy feeders and appreciate compost and fertilizer.
Towards the end of their cycle, the foliage simply turns brown as it dies down naturally. They should be back next year.
Thank you very much. You
Thank you very much. You guys are great and I will keep coming back to you.
I believe what happened is
I believe what happened is you put a fertile too high in nitrogen the best fertilizer for transplanting new plants is hastagro organic fertilizer or Bills Perfect Fertilizer because it reduces transplant shock. You need something around and (not exactly ) 5-10-12
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