Delphinium perennial: planting, growing and care in the open field

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

Description and characteristics of the flower

Herbaceous, perennial, from the Ranunculaceae family. Scientists call it larkspur, flower growers - delphinium, and many people know it as a spur. During the season, the plant forms 10-15 stems. They are straight, their height depends on the species (10-300 cm).

Short varieties native to the highlands, tall varieties bred from delphinium species growing in the forest. The shoots are covered with beautiful rounded or deeply dissected leaves. At the bottom they form a rosette.

During flowering (June-July), the plant throws out high peduncles covered with bright semi-double inflorescences. A single flower lives for about a week. Its diameter can reach 7 cm. The color depends on the variety. Flowers are blue, light 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 type, with a large number of adventitious roots. Renewal buds form on the roots of old plants, the central part of the rhizome dies off.

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. By the winter begins to prepare with the onset of cold weather. Nutrients move from above ground to roots.

In winter, the delphinium is not afraid 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. In the tissues of the roots and fruits there are substances (alkaloids), they can have a depressing effect on the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and heart.

The plant is a honey plant. Honey collected from the spur is not for people to eat, it is toxic. The plant can cause intoxication in humans, insects and mammals.

Popular delphinium varieties

In the middle lane you can grow a rare yellow variety Sungleam. Florists amaze with their beauty new terry hybrids of unusual colors from Scotland, New Zealand.

Hybrid

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

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 paniculate, loose. Height of peduncles (stems) 1.2 m.

Candles Lamartine are painted in dark blue color, formed by semi-double flowers. Variety Volkerfriden 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, Korean wild varieties were taken as a basis. Garden forms of large-flowered delphinium were obtained from them. Stems 50-100 cm high are covered with narrow, strongly dissected trifoliate leaves.

Inflorescences, the diameter of which is 5 cm, are collected in large, loose brushes of white, blue, light blue, pink color. The flowering period depends on the climatic zone. Pedicels long, sepals ellipsoid 25 mm long.

Popular varieties of large-flowered delphinium:

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

Field

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

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

Varieties bloom for a long time, 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, starting in June. Tall delphinium can be grown in hardiness zone 4.

Reproduction options

Perennial is propagated vegetatively (dividing the bush, apical cuttings) and sowing seeds. The easiest option is to divide the bush. To grow a new interesting variety, they 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 the ripening of seeds. Old perennials transplant poorly. He althy plants are chosen for propagation. The bush is dug up with the root.

Divide by hand or with a garden tool (shovel, scissors). On the delenka, 1 shoot and 1 dormant bud are certainly left. More is possible, less is not. During spring division, the delphinium blooms in the first year of life. Delenki are immediately seated on a prepared flower bed.

Propagation by cuttings

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

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

Seeds

Germination of delphinium seeds - 50-80%. Collect them in the fall, take the seed boxes located at the bottom of the peduncle. Cut off, hung in a shed over a container.

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

Growing perennial delphinium from seeds

Seedlings are successfully grown at home. Sowing is done in March. The seeds are planted in separate glasses with a volume of 300 ml, so as not to dive. Delphinium seedlings do not tolerate transplantation 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 out. No more than 15 boxes are left on 1 plant. Harvest them on a clear day after they turn brown.

Boxes are dried in a cool room, split open, 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 (keep them in the refrigerator). Before sowing, a mandatory disinfection procedure is carried out. Use a solution of potassium permanganate, or purchase an effective fungicide from the store.

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

• "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

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

Delphinium seedling care

To get he althy seedlings, it is important to maintain a certain temperature regime:

• before germination - 15°C;
• after sprouting - 20 °C;

Water the soil sparingly. Water during watering should not fall on the leaves. You need to feed 1 time in 2 weeks. Agricola is suitable for this purpose.

Planting a delphinium in open ground

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

Choosing a landing site

Seedlings are best planted in neutral soil. Choose a sunny place, not in a draft. Peduncles are tall, heavy, often broken by strong gusts of wind. Acidic soil is deoxidized in autumn: 200-500 g / m² lime is added during digging. The rate depends on the pH level.

When to sow a plant in open ground?

Freshly harvested delphinium seeds are sown in late autumn or spring after preliminary stratification in the ground warmed up to 15 ° C. Seedlings sown in February-March are planted in a flower bed in May.

Landing

You need to plant seedlings shallowly. In one hole, you can plant 2-3 pcs. The soil after planting should be watered and sprinkled with humus. Seedling roots may rot if planted too deep.

Flower care

Caring for a perennial is easy, especially for older bushes. Tall forms need support. The first garter is carried out when shoots grow up to 50 cm, the next as they grow.

How to water properly

In the first year of life, the perennial is watered once every 2 weeks. For 1 bush spend 3 liters of water. In the heat, the volume is increased. After each watering (rain), the soil is loosened to a depth of 4 cm. It is also watered more abundantly during flowering. Mature bushes moisten as needed when the top layer of the earth dries.

Feeding and fertilizing the flower

Feed for the first time in the spring, when the shoots grow up to 15 cm. Use mullein infusion. For watering 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 ratio N:P:K - 1:2:2.

Pruning delphinium

Pruning is a necessary event. Through it, the grower maintains the decorativeness of the bush, receives seed material, and prepares for wintering.

Cutting 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 are left, and the rest are cut at ground level. Dried flower stalks are pruned in summer. To obtain seeds, leave the lower part of the branch with 10-15 seed boxes. Sections at ground level are covered with clay to protect the roots from rotting. High (20-30 cm) stumps are not treated with anything.

Pruning for the winter

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

Delphinium transplant

Carried out 1 time in 3 (4) years in order to rejuvenate the bush. Location doesn't always change. The bush is dug up, divided. Choose well-developed delenki. Fertilizers and humus are applied to the soil. Selected delphinium bushes are planted.

Diseases and pests

From pests, slugs, delphinium fly and aphids are dangerous. Fly lays eggs in buds. The larvae eat the center of the flower. In infected plants, buds fall off, seeds do not form. Insecticides are used to control insects.

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, poppies. Tall varieties are planted next to outbuildings, hedges. Delphinium perennial 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.

Undersized species decorate the borders of garden paths, flower beds. Flowers are grown on balconies, terraces as a container culture. Dwarf varieties of delphinium look good in rocky gardens and rockeries.

Delphinium inflorescences are used to decorate bouquets. In flowerbeds, it coexists well with cereals. Good Companions for the Delphinium:

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

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

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