Planting, growing and caring for perennial delphinium in open ground

It’s hard not to notice the spectacular peduncles of perennial delphinium in the garden. They bloom at the very zenith of summer. If the care is proper, then in the last days of August the perennial blooms for the second time. Subject to planting rules and high-quality agricultural technology, the perennial lives in the flowerbed for 5 years.

Description and characteristics of the flower

The plant is herbaceous, perennial, from the Buttercup family. Scientists call it larkspur, flower growers call it delphinium, and many people know it as spur. During the season, the plant develops 10-15 stems. They are straight, their height depends on the type (10-300 cm).

Low-growing varieties come from mountainous areas, while tall varieties are bred from delphinium species growing in the forest. The shoots are covered with beautiful rounded or deeply dissected leaves. Below they form a rosette.

During flowering (June-July), the plant throws out tall peduncles covered with bright semi-double inflorescences. An individual flower lives for about a week. Its diameter can reach 7 cm. Color depends on the variety. The flowers are blue, blue, white, pink.

The color of the eye located in the middle of the flower most often differs from the color of the outer petals. The root system is racemose, with a large number of adventitious roots. Renewal buds form on the roots of old plants, and the central part of the rhizome dies.

Dried flower stalks are cut off so that the delphinium blooms again at the end of summer. The perennial is resistant to drought and frost. It begins to prepare for winter with the onset of cold weather. Nutrients pass from the above-ground parts to the roots.

In winter, delphinium is afraid not of frost, but of thaw. It dies not from low temperatures, but from the fact that the roots rot. The perennial is considered a poisonous plant. There are substances (alkaloids) in the tissues of roots and fruits that can have a depressant effect on the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and heart.

The plant is a honey plant.People cannot eat honey collected from spurs, it is toxic. The plant can cause intoxication in humans, insects and mammals.

Popular varieties of delphinium

In the middle zone you can grow the rare yellow variety Sungleam. Flower growers are amazed by their beauty by new terry hybrids of unusual colors from Scotland and New Zealand.

Hybrid

The most numerous subspecies of delphinium, combining hybrid forms. They were obtained by crossing different types of perennials. Hybrid forms of delphinium are popular among gardeners. Many varieties of different colors have been developed.

The height of perennials of this group is 0.3-2 m, the flowers are simple, double, semi-double with a diameter of 3-7 cm. There are forms with inflorescences of 50-70 flowers. Primary colors are blue, lilac, violet.

Belladonna

The most common varieties are Casa Blanca, Volkerfriden, Lamartine. Casa Blanca has amazingly beautiful snow-white flowers, semi-double, double, large - 5 cm in diameter. Inflorescences are paniculate and loose. The height of the peduncles (stems) is 1.2 m.

Lamartine candles are colored dark blue and are formed by semi-double flowers. The Volkerfriden variety decorates the garden with blue, spectacular candles up to 1.5 m high. The snow-white flowers of Casa Blanca have a yellow center.

Large-flowered

Chinese, Mongolian, and Korean wild varieties were taken as the basis. Garden forms of delphinium grandiflora were obtained from them. Stems 50-100 cm high are covered with narrow, highly dissected trifoliate leaves.

The inflorescences, 5 cm in diameter, are collected in large, loose clusters of white, blue, light blue, and pink colors. The flowering period depends on the climate zone. The pedicels are long, the sepals are ellipsoidal, 25 mm long.

Popular varieties of large-flowered delphinium:

1. Blue butterfly. Pyramidal inflorescences are bright blue or light blue.
2. Pink butterfly. Pale pink, loose, racemose inflorescences. Flowers are 3 cm in diameter. Plant height 40 cm.
3. White butterfly. The variety is planted in mixborders. The flowers are white, collected in racemes.
4. Butterfly mix. The bushes are low, the colors of the flowers are very different.

Field

The variety combines tall varieties (2 m) with simple and double flowers. This species has been cultivated since 1572. The following varieties are in demand:

• Frosted Sky - the center is snow-white, the edge petals are pale blue;
• Qis Rose - soft pink color;
• Qis Dark Blue - the color of the inflorescences is dark blue.

The varieties bloom for a long time, the buds begin to bloom in June.

High

Variety Delphis Starlight with bright blue double flowers, with a contrasting black eye. The color of the upper petals is lilac. The height of the stems is 1.5-1.7 m. The width of the flower in the crossbar is 6 cm. Flowering continues all summer until September, beginning in June. Tall delphinium can be grown in winter hardiness zone 4.

Reproduction options

The perennial is propagated vegetatively (dividing the bush, apical cuttings) and sowing seeds. The simplest option is dividing the bush. To grow a new interesting variety, purchase high-quality seed material from a trusted manufacturer.

Dividing the bush

In spring, 3-4 year old bushes are divided until active vegetation begins. In autumn - during seed ripening. Old perennials do not tolerate transplantation well. Healthy plants are selected for propagation. The bush is dug up by the roots.

Divide by hand or using garden tools (shovel, scissors).One shoot and one dormant bud must be left on the division. More is possible, less is not possible. When dividing in spring, the delphinium blooms in the first year of life. The delenki are immediately planted in a prepared flower bed.

Propagation by cuttings

Take apical cuttings. In the spring, stems are cut 10-15 cm long, cut with a small heel - a small piece of root. Root in containers. Fill them with a mixture of peat (1 tsp) and sand (1 tsp). The cuttings are buried 2 cm, the lower part is dusted with crushed activated carbon. The soil is moistened abundantly with a spray bottle.

A mini-greenhouse is built above the box to maintain constant humidity. After 2 weeks, callus will form on the cuttings, and they will take root by the end of the 5th week. All this time, it is necessary to maintain the air temperature at 20-25 °C. After a year, the seedlings from the boxes are transplanted into open ground.

Seeds

The germination rate of delphinium seeds is 50-80%. They are collected in the fall, taking the seed pods located at the bottom of the peduncle. After cutting, they hang it in the barn above the container.

When the seeds ripen, the capsules split open. They are stored at +5 °C. A refrigerator is suitable for this purpose. Delphinium can be sown in open ground before winter (November), in spring (May) or at the end of August.

Growing perennial delphinium from seeds

Seedlings are successfully grown at home. Sowing is done in March. Plant the seeds in separate 300 ml glasses so as not to dive. Transplanting delphinium seedlings does not tolerate well.

Selection of seed material

Choose a bush with pronounced varietal characteristics. To speed up the ripening of seeds, the upper part of the peduncle is broken off. No more than 15 boxes are left on 1 plant.They are collected on a clear day after they have turned brown.

The boxes are dried in a cool room, split open, and the seeds are collected. Delphinium grown from self-collected seed material may lose varietal characteristics. Inflorescences may have a different color from the mother plant.

Preparing seeds for planting

Seeds are stratified for 2-4 weeks (kept in the refrigerator). Before sowing, a mandatory disinfection procedure is carried out. Use a solution of potassium permanganate, or purchase an effective fungicide in the store.

For convenience, the seeds are poured into a small cloth bag. Immerse in the solution for 25 minutes. The disinfected seed material is first washed with running water, then immersed in a stimulant solution. Suitable:

• "Epin";
• "Kornevin";
• "Heteroauxin".

The delphinium seeds are kept in the stimulator for at least a day. They are dried before sowing.

Sowing delphinium seeds for seedlings

Delphinium should be planted at the end of February or March. Moisten the soil well, spread the seeds over the surface, do not bury them. You can lightly sprinkle with sand (1-2 mm). Place the container in a transparent bag.

Caring for delphinium seedlings

To obtain healthy seedlings, it is important to maintain a certain temperature regime:

• before emergence - 15 °C;
• after sprouts appear - 20 °C;

Water the soil moderately. Water should not fall on the leaves during watering. You need to feed once every 2 weeks. Agricola is suitable for this purpose.

Planting delphinium in open ground

It is not difficult to grow a beautiful perennial from high-quality seedlings. By the time of transplantation, the seedling should have formed a strong root system.

Choosing a landing site

It is better to plant seedlings in neutral soil.Choose a sunny place, not in a draft. The peduncles are tall, heavy, and often break due to strong gusts of wind. Acidic soil is deoxidized in the fall: when digging, lime is added at a rate of 200-500 g/m². The rate depends on the pH level.

When to sow a plant in open ground?

Freshly collected delphinium seeds are sown in late autumn or spring after preliminary stratification in soil heated to 15 °C. Seedlings sown in February-March are planted in a flowerbed in May.

Landing

Seedlings need to be planted shallow. You can plant 2-3 pieces in one hole. After planting, the soil should be watered and sprinkled with humus. When planted deeply, the roots of the seedlings may rot.

Flower care

Caring for perennials is easy, especially for mature bushes. Tall forms need support. The first garter is carried out when the shoots grow to 50 cm, the next ones as they grow.

How to water correctly

In the first year of life, the perennial is watered once every 2 weeks. 3 liters of water are consumed for 1 bush. In hot weather the volume increases. After each watering (rain), the soil is loosened to a depth of 4 cm. It is also watered more abundantly during flowering. Adult bushes are moistened as needed when the top layer of soil dries out.

Feeding and fertilizing the flower

Feed for the first time in the spring, when the shoots grow to 15 cm. Use mullein infusion. To water 10 spur bushes, 10 kg of manure per 100 liters of water is enough. In early June, they are fed with mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. For abundant flowering, the N:P:K ratio is 1:2:2.

Delphinium pruning

Pruning is a necessary undertaking. Through it, the grower maintains the decorative appearance of the bush, obtains seed material, and prepares it for wintering.

Trimming methods

The first time pruning is carried out in the spring, when the height of the shoots is 25-30 cm. The 5 most powerful ones are left, and the rest are cut out at ground level. In summer, dried flower stalks are cut off. To obtain seeds, leave the lower part of the branch with 10-15 seed pods. Cuts at ground level are covered with clay to protect the roots from rotting. Tall (20-30 cm) stumps are not treated with anything.

Pruning for winter

Pruning is carried out after the above-ground part dries. The shoots are cut off not at the root, leaving 20 cm of hemp. This protects the delphinium roots from infection.

Delphinium transplant

Carry out once every 3 (4) years in order to rejuvenate the bush. The location is not always changed. The bush is dug up and divided. Select well-developed divisions. Fertilizers and humus are added to the soil. Selected delphinium bushes are planted.

Diseases and pests

Dangerous pests include slugs, delphinium flies and aphids. The fly lays eggs in the buds. The larvae eat away the center of the flower. In infected plants, the buds fall off and seeds do not form. To combat insects, they resort to insecticides.

Delphiniums can suffer from fungal diseases. The danger is:

• powdery mildew;
• ring spot;
• ramulariasis.

Delphinium in landscape design

Low varieties of delphinium in flower beds go well with phlox, irises, and poppy. Tall varieties are planted next to outbuildings and hedges. Perennial delphinium looks equally good in both single and group plantings.

It is planted on the lawn or in the foreground of ornamental shrubs:

• barberry;
• jasmine;
• almonds

Low-growing species are used to decorate the borders of garden paths and flower beds.Flowers are grown on balconies and terraces as a container crop. Dwarf varieties of delphinium look good in rocky gardens and rockeries.

Delphinium inflorescences are used to decorate bouquets. In flower beds it goes well with cereals. Good companions for delphinium:

• roses;
• dahlias;
• rudbeckia;
• lilies.

There are many interesting new products on sale. In March, you can start planting new varieties of delphinium. Within a year, spectacular pyramidal inflorescences will decorate the garden.