I have never tried Delphiniums. But they sure are lovely. I was thinking of ordering both Hollyhocks and Delphiniums for my tall cottage garden flowers. I usually grow Hollyhocks so they will not be anything new for me. Just need to replace mine as they all died of rust last year. But I got the idea that the Delphiniums would go great with the hollyhocks. Well, maybe not as I don't know if they even bloom at the same time.
Is there anything special I should know about trying Delphs? Thanks!
Hollyhocks and Delphiniums?
I purchased two one a whim at wallyworld last year... they didn't get really tall [I'm sure there are many varieties, and i have no idea what mine are] but i did get seeds from them and they WS'ed just fine... now i have little babies.
All I can say about delphiniums is I can't seem to overwinter them. Luckily my father loves them, too, and he plants seeds every year, so I just keep replacing them with free plants from him. I'd love it if someone could suggest ways to keep them going for several years.
I have no probs overwintering but if they aren't in a fenced area, the bunnies love them and chomp them down in no time. Very disappointing. I really want to have dels in my peony bed but every last one has been eaten.
I planted delphiniums last year at home in zone 6b, and up in the Poconos in zone 5. I had winter sown them that winter, and planted them in the spring. They all put out small blooms their first year. This spring, the foliage of the delphs in zone 5 are back up and looking great. My delphs in zone 6b didn't come back up. My theory is slugs. They seem to LOVE delphiniums. We have a lot of slugs in my 6b garden, but not in my zone 5 garden. I wintersowed a bunch more delph's this winter, and transplanted them into my 6b garden this spring. I'm going to try to be good about applying slug killer frequently this year, and see whether that helps. Anyway, I guess my delphinium advice would be to get rid of any slugs if you have them :)
where i have my Delphs -- i dont have slugs. guess that is a good thing. I will also have to keep that in mind for when i plant the seedlings.
I do tend to carry my ammonia water spray bottle with me... so if i see any, I just give'em a squirt.
I think delphs are one of the prettiest cottage flowers ever, my only piece of advice is for me they were a lot of maintenance. Staking in any wind was necessary and I probably didn't do a great job of that because I still lost quite a few. I didn't replace those this year, not sure if it's worth the work for me!
I'll have to watch for slugs this year, thanks for the tip
I love delphs, but for some reason I'm not crazy about the foliage on hollyhocks--it always looks raggedy to me. They sure can be pretty in a farmyard setting, though. I took this photo at Old World Wisconsin, a museum where they reenact historical settings right down to the heirloom plants.
My delphs are always gorgeous. I'm not sure what I'm doing right, though, since I've grown them in both heavy clay and sandy loam, in full sun and part-shade, and either way they've been happy. I do think they prefer a cooler, less humid climate, so maybe it's a zone thing.
I do think of Hollyhocks, at least the single variesties as a very old fashioned plant and a flower that really belongs in a farmyard setting. Lovely picture.
Love those hollyhocks. Such a pretty color.
Love delphs too but many have a hard time growing them here in OH because of the humidity and winter rains. I think one reason they perish over winter is because of the drainage. I seem to recall that they like a planting mix with some sand in it to help with that.
Here is one of my favorite delphinium sites~~these folks, the Dowdeswells from New Zealand, have created some of the well-known hybrids found in gardens today: https://www.delphinium.co.nz/RetailSeedlineGallery.html
In Ohio it's often recommended to grow 'Larkspur' (aka Delphinium exaltatum) instead of the fancier delphs~~it's a little more 'native' looking but it will survive the climate better.
I grow single red hollyhocks against the garden shed because the hummingbirds and butterflies like them. They do get scruffy looking later in the summer though. Then I just whack 'em off. They are easy to Wintersow.