
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Delphinium
Types
- Belladonna Group: blue flowers native to North America; easier to grow and longer-lived than varieties in the Elatum Group (below); upright, loose, and branching perennials; secondary flower spikes extend bloom period into autumn; 3 to 4 feet tall. ‘Blue Donna’ has clear, blue flowers.
- Elatum Group: tallest varieties in shades of violet, blue, pink, and/or white; short-lived; reach 6 feet tall or more. ‘Aurora Deep Purple’ has purple flowers with a white center.
- Pacific Hybrids: 3-inch violet, blue, and pink flowers; short-lived; tolerate warm/hot climates as annuals; giant (3- to 6-foot) heirlooms and dwarf hybrids. ‘King Arthur’, 5 to 6 feet tall, has plum flowers with white centers.
I live in Massachusetts. I bought some seeds this winter and am now nervous about planting them. Are Delphinium harmful to the local wildlife? Birds, pollinators, squirrels, bunnies, etc?
Delphinium are only harmful if ingested, so rabbits and deer would be most likely to be affected. Generally, these animals will only take a nibble of the plant (not enough to harm the animal) and then be turned off by the unpleasant taste. If these grazers visit your garden regularly, consider covering the delphinium while they’re young (and most toxic) or planting them in a container that can be placed out of reach.
No they aren’t only harmful if digested you can’t touch them they can cause skin irritation all parts of Delphiums are poisonous
to: Submitted by Ann Legere on June 16, 2020 - 12:39pm
I am not sure about Lupins, but I can say I had a deer come through my flower bed. Ate all the tops out of my fuschias, roses(of course), crocosmias, violets, but didn't touch my delphiniums which were only a couple feet away.
Can you me if deer are attracted or will eat Lupins or Delphiniums? Thank you for any info you can give me. Ann Legere
Both plant are considered deer-resistant and good choices in gardens without fencing. (Just keep in mind: NO plant is truly deer-resistant if deer are hungry enough; however, some plants are more resistant than others.)
my delphs are well up. should I cover them for -9 degrees c.prediction?
No worries. Delphiniums are a hardy herbaceous perennial, which means they are fully hardy down -10 to -15C and between 5 - 14F. In late autumn and winter they die back completely to bare earth and regrow each spring. Note: They do need shelter from winds and best planted in a sheltered spot away from winds. They have heavy flower heads supported by hollow stems. Also, all delphiniums need staking as soon as they have put on growth and are getting established.
How big should Delphiniums be before transplanting them from under the grow light to outdoors?
Kudos for getting sprouts, Jack. Height is a consideration but you want seedlings with “true” leaves, not just the two that initially appear. True leaves appear early, so if your plants have a couple to a few inches, you’re probably well past that stage. As for height, we’ve see suggestions of 12 to 15 inches but it depends on the strength of the plants. Before transplanting you also want to harden off the plants—get them used to the world. Here is some advice on that https://www.almanac.com/video/how-harden-plants and another https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening-news/time-get-tough-hardening-plants (these are about vegetables but the process is the same).
We hope this helps!