Delphinium forum?

Delphinium are cranky creatures sometimes. I would really like a forum dedicated to their care and feeding. Other interested parties?

TIA
LAS

I'd be interested...

Count me in.

Sounds like there is East Coast to Far West Coast interest to me!...And the people in between are probably outdoors 'cause it's not raining there...Hopefully they will pop on soon.

I would LOVE a delphinium forum - so I can figure out how to get mine to thrive!

Sounds like a good idea, I know lots of folks have great trouble with these plants, and would appreciate a forum in which to share cultivation attempts.

count me in !

I would love a delphinium forum also. They sure are persnickity creatures.

I'm very interested.

very interested!!!

Definitely.

I'd read and participate. I've grown Delphs for 3 years unsuccessfully and this is the first year I've come across information that you're supposed to pull off bloom stalks for the first couple years ....would've been nice to be able to find that info in a specific forum! :) Can we add Foxgloves to the persnickety list for this forum? lol

If they don't go for a forum exclusively for Delph's, I like art_n_garden's idea...maybe it could include foxgloves, aconitums, larkspur etc...any of the columnar type flowers...

I'd love to get a forum going on delphiniums--can't beat that blue!!

JasperDale,

Since Art_n_Garden said LOL (laughing out loud) after his/her post, maybe it was meant facetiously? I do want "delphiniums" in the title, but will take note if others request "columnar flowers."

LAS

It was just a thought...I don't know how they (the admins) determine what is "forum worthy", but I agree that "Delphiniums" should be in the title of the forum.

Sounds good to me too. Maybe Delphs and tall spikey flowers so it would be a more inclusive longer season forum. Delphs would of course be the stars.

Count me in! I love Delphs and have had the same plant for over 12 years...........and when I moved it came with me :)

SW_gardener, I bow in awe. art_n_garden, I certainly have never read about pulling off bloom stalks for the first few years--any more info where that came from?

I think it had more to do with not letting second year Delphiniums bloom too much and only allowing three flower stalks to grow. I'll try and find it.

Yea, I tried to find the thread I read that on...couldn't for the life of me. What I read was that you only allow 1 bloom stalk for a year old plant, 3 for a 2 yo plant and then control the amount (don't rememebr #) for a 3rd year. I.e., delphiniums will bloom themselves to death. Let me know if you find it pirl!

But I do think that maybe this proposed forum would be a good spot for other finicky columnar bloomers, even though I said it facetiously. I can't figure out foxgloves even though I have the right climate for them. Ohhh and Lupines!! Those have me stumped, too. :)

I'm pretty good with lupines. Send me your questions and I'll try to help.

art - I'm thinking maybe it was Beginner Gardening or something like it.

I'm glad you saw it too, pirl. Was beginning to think that I was just dreaming about delphs!! lol. I couldn't find it in the perennial forum, that's for sure! And of course I didn't watch it, so I can't look it up that way.

Well, I'm not sure what my questions are about lupines. I can't grow them! I think I've had them in too hot a spot. That, and if a plant isn't raised in my high altitude, it seems like they can roast with the proximity of my sun (6300 ft). Right now I have a new, small lupine that we'll see how it goes. I'd love any tricks...

I haven't gardened in high altitude but they prefer dry over wet feet - certain death here.

Found it! Beginner Flowers.

Marshmellow
Fitchburg, MA

April 30, 2008
8:51 AM

Post #4886206

If Delphiniums don't come back and you're in the right zone for them it's usually because you let them "over bloom".

Delphiniums are considered "high maintenance". They're not very smart in that a single plant will put out so many blooms they literally die from exhaustion. 1st year Delphiniums you must only let them have a single flower spike (else risk they will not come back), 2nd year only let them have up to 3 spikes, and 3rd year+ let them have 5. I also chop the flowers off before they go to seed, as making seed is extremely energy intense.

That's what it is for most Delphiniums, not sure about the chinese ones. The 20 or so delphiniums I've made sure they only have the number of flower spikes recommended and remove them after blooming I've had a 100% survival rate going on 3 years now.

I would think Colorado would be ideal for Delph's, and they'd be true perennials there...unlike where I am where I have to treat them as annuals.

I agree, and now that I know more about them I expect them to act as such! So far though, I've tried them for 2 years and they've never come back. This year though, I'm pinching blooms (only let one so far!) and the foliage looks very strong. Fingers crossed. I think a lot of my problems come from the Colorado clay, not the Colorado weather.

ajaxmd, Thank-you! Heres a picture from earlier in the summer :)

Perhaps we should keep our discussions of delphiniums until we get a forum. The extra posts will make it hard for the powers that be to figure out how many individuals want the forum. At least I think so. Maybe there's a way to "Select distinct?"

LAS

good idea...but are there enough cultivars of Delphiniums growable in this country to generate enough interest ?

Just wondering...

This message was edited Aug 12, 2008 5:27 PM

I think that there are enough cultivars. Especially when you consider how many are sold as being part of a "mix" when in actuality many of those mixes have been broken into their specific strains. The one that I posted up above was one that was labeled as pacific hybrid mix, but I know that I've seen the pacific hybrids sorted by color in some catalogs and specialty nurseries!

Love Delphiniums!!
Pagan Purple is in bloom now. Yummy!

This "NOID" is fantastic! Would love to see what everyone has
in their gardens.

Yes! Please put up a Delphinium Forum!!

Has anyone contacted Dave about this ???

I've corresponded with LAS14 ;o) Here are my observations and suggestions.

I looked at the number of Delphinium threads: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/search.php?forum=&search_text=delphinium&limit=0&search_area=body&limit_poster=&Search=Search and the vast majority (80-90%) are PlantFiles photo threads. That's good - it means we have quite a few images of delphiniums in PlantFiles. Hopefully, more interest in this topic will lead to more images.

But the number of threads doesn't indicate there's a strong base of support for a forum, or a sustained interest level in this specific topic.

The best way to demonstrate a strong, sustained interest level is for a topic to begin to dominate a forum with active threads discussing various aspects of growing this plant. If that happens and it becomes evident that it needs its own forum, we'll be happy to make one at that time.

The Perennials forum would probably be a good place to start; we also have a Rocky Mountain Gardening forum, a Rock and Alpine forum, a Xeriscape forum (all are subscribers-only); you can use the Beginner Flower forum if you want to include non-subscribers in the conversation(s).

Could someone here recommend one or two particular threads which focus on the general care of Delphiniums, including problem solving of common problems? I'm looking for a "stickie" of sorts ...

Thanks in advance,
w

Sounds fabulous!!! I would love to see a forum on delphs.
I have spent lots of money on plants and then they never survive. Gotta be a way. This is what I did this past fall, just trying out a new idea, wheather or not it works???? I bought several pkgs. of seeds and just sowed them in the flower bed. Hoping for the best.I am in (I call it zone six and a half). I am always amazed how larkspur re-seeds itself and comes up by the zillions, so why not delphs.
Thanks, and I sure do hope for a forum on this subj. Thanks for your idea.
JoANne

It's always the way - the larkspur come up everywhere but the delphiniums have their problems.