Perennial Delphinium - planting and care

It is impossible to describe how beautiful a blooming garden is in summer. This must be experienced: the greenery blooming around is pleasing to the eye, and it is simply impossible to look away from roses, carnations, lilies, gladioli, clematis, hydrangeas and many other flowering plants - they are so mesmerizing with their colorful buds. However, perhaps, of all of them, the perennial delphinium can be distinguished.

This flower is special in a way. The way vertical candles decorate the garden, no other decorative culture does it. He makes the garden not only more colorful and brighter, but also taller. And from the hybrid varieties, giants are completely breathtaking.

In this article, you will learn how to shelter these majestic and delicate flowers on your site and how to care for them so that they are as beautiful and healthy as possible.

Perennial delphinium: types

Photo of the delphinium. Kind: Mafin hybrids

Since we are talking about perennial delphiniums, it is worth noting that they are different. Breeders identify only five types of perennial delphiniums, and they are as follows:

Mafin hybrids delphiniums. They got their name in honor of the breeders who discovered them, or, more precisely, in honor of the village "Mafino", in which the discovery was made. A distinctive feature of this particular species is that its bushes are incredibly tall and dense. Individuals may well grow up to two meters in height.

Another advantage of them is that, despite their hybridity, these varieties retain almost all their qualities when propagated by seeds, which is definitely a huge plus.

The next type of delphinium is called Belladona... By the standards of this plant, it is rather unusual.

Photo of the delphinium. Species: Belladona

The fact is that, unlike all types of delphiniums, whose inflorescences are in the shape of a candle, Belladona has inflorescences in the form of brooms. Therefore, it will be especially interesting for collectors.

Pacific hybrids delphiniums. You can also hear how they are called Delphiniums "Pacific", because this is how the name of the Pacific Ocean is translated into English.

Photo of the delphinium. Species: Pacific hybrids

The varieties of this species are, in fact, quite similar to the Mafin hybrids. Pacific ones, like them, can reach two meters in height and their flowers are exactly the same - semi-double.

Delphinium Elatum - a pretty bright and popular look. Its peculiarity is the unchanging and very beautiful shade of the inflorescences, which varies from turquoise to dark blue. This variety is most often found in gardens and homes.

Photo: delphinium Elatum

The last view that we will look at in this article is New Zealand hybrids delphiniums. They are also distinguished by their beauty and tenderness. The buds of these varieties are especially beautiful: most often they are terry and have clean, bright shades.

Photo of the delphinium. Species: New Zealand hybrids

Each of these species contains more than two dozen varieties of delphiniums, and choosing from them is still a challenge.In the end, absolutely all of them have pronounced features of their kind, and which one you choose is solely on the conscience of your taste. Or, to put it simply, all delphiniums are equally good.

They begin to bloom quite early, namely in June. Although, unfortunately, this fascinating plant blooms for an extremely short time: from a couple of weeks to a whole month. Each delphinium candle contains from 50 to 80 flowers and blooms from bottom to top. Most often, each of them reaches a height of at least one meter.

Which perennial delphinium to choose

As already mentioned, you can choose a delphinium variety exclusively from your own preferences, because there are countless various shapes, sizes and shades of flowers and petals.

The petals are especially distinguished by their variety. There are both straight and curls, both with smooth edges and sharp ones. In addition, there are varieties that have an eye in the center of the flower, and there are those that do not have this eye. So the choice is huge.

Finding some sort of delphinium that is right for you in these conditions, as you know, is difficult. Perhaps they are all so good that I would like to take and drop all of them at once. However, the gardens, unfortunately, are limited in size, and therefore you have to choose. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to grab two or three different varieties at once and plant them in one flower bed.

Perennial Delphinium - growing from seed

In fact, growing a delphinium is a rather difficult task that requires good knowledge, skill and endurance from the gardener. Even if this is not the most whimsical plant, however, it becomes such only when it grows. But when planting and post-planting care for a delphinium, you need to carefully observe agricultural technology.

The first thing to take care of is, of course, the landing site of the perennial delphinium. When choosing a site, the first thing you should pay attention to should be the soil... Delphinium is very fond of fertile soil with good feeding. It is best to plant this plant in neutral soil, however slight acidity is still acceptable.

Therefore, before settling a perennial delphinium in its new home, the soil should be thoroughly treated with wood ash. This will ensure that your plant grows faster and more efficiently.

Also, the perennial delphinium extremely dislikes closed spaces. In them, it grows very reluctantly and sluggishly, and therefore, when choosing a place, you need to pay special attention illumination and aeration plot. The higher these indicators are, the better the future Delphinium will feel.

However, please note! Ventilated area does not mean a ventilated area. Strong gusts of wind are highly undesirable for the Delphinium. This also needs to be borne in mind.

To summarize: the best place for this plant is a ventilated, draft-free, sufficiently lit area. However, at least a light shade is also welcome.

Delphinium perennial, planting: how to choose seeds

Naturally, not all seeds are equally good, and therefore when planting, the question always arises: "Which one is better?" The answer to this question is this: those delphiniums that were grown from seeds collected in the first year show themselves best. They grow the fastest and delphiniums grow more efficient from them.

Unfortunately, delphinium seeds are not one of those that can be stored indefinitely. Plus, they expire pretty quickly. And over time, they become much less viable and effective.

In order to avoid this unpleasant effect, it is necessary to plant them almost immediately after collection. Most often this time falls on October or November. You can sow seeds either directly into the ground or in special sowing boxes. Do not forget that the seeds must be disinfected before planting.

Seed planting dates

Depending on the season in which the delphinium seeds are planted, it is necessary to choose the appropriate months. For autumn, as already mentioned, these are October and November. If the seeds are planted in spring, the optimal months are April or May. Well, in the event that the seeds are planted in the summer, the suitable months are - as you probably already guessed, June and July.

However, even the choice of the landing date is teeming with nuances. As, however, the whole process of growing delphiniums in general. Especially planting and caring for seeds is a daunting task. The first thing to do with freshly harvested seeds is stratify... This means they should be kept moist for about two weeks in the refrigerator before planting. At the same time, the temperature should not rise above 5 and not fall below 3 degrees Celsius.

Be careful, as seeds often start sprouting already in the refrigerator. The earliest planting date is March, and even the end of February. At this time, seeds are planted in the event that you plant them for seedlings. In this case, the emerging seedlings must be supplemented.

The resulting seedlings need to be very careful. dive... During this operation, they are incredibly easy to break, and therefore it is not recommended to make too abrupt movements. When planting your seedlings, make sure you dig deep enough. This must be done up to the first cotyledonous leaf. However, all these troubles are relevant only if you decide to grow a really rare variety, the seeds of which are very limited in quantity.

The varieties that lend themselves best to seed propagation are those that have a very well-developed taproot. Such delphiniums do not take root well during transplantation. But when propagated by seeds, they grow well and develop a powerful root system.

In addition, delphiniums grown from seed have exceptional cold resistance and rather lush inflorescences. On the other hand, when growing more common, ordinary and familiar varieties, there is no point in bothering so much.

It will be much more effective to plant seeds in open ground even in late autumn. Although some of them will not sprout, however, compared to rare varieties, the loss will be small. Moreover, in early spring you will be able to pick out the sprouts and plant them in your holes.

When you propagate Delphiniums with seeds, a lot of seedlings grow, and therefore you have a huge choice. For example, some of them, especially those that turned out to be weak, can be completely weeded out as unnecessary.

When planting seedlings, it is necessary to observe the distance between the holes. This is done so that neighboring Delphiniums do not compete with each other for nutrients and do not interfere with the development of each other's root systems. The optimal distance between adjacent holes is about a quarter of a meter.

How to propagate a perennial delphinium by the division method

Of course, seed propagation is not the only way to multiply delphinium bushes. And one of the alternative breeding methods is the method of dividing the bush. The best time to plant a split bush is around mid-March.

Since the delphinium bushes grow over time, a distance of at least half a meter must be observed between the holes. In addition, the fossa itself should be quite large compared to the size of the appendix. However, forty centimeters in length, width and depth is usually more than enough. Such a volume is simply necessary, since the holes will need to be filled with pre-prepared compost.

It is also advisable to add fertilizers to this compost, both organic and mineral. This is done in accordance with the following proportions: one bucket of rotted compost is taken, into which one tablespoon (with a slide) of a drug called superphosphate is added.You can also add potash fertilizers, but this is completely optional.

Also, do not forget about wood ash, which we have already talked about, and about nitrogen fertilizers. All these fertilizers are necessary in order for the divided plant, which is under enormous stress at the time of planting, to be able to adapt to new conditions without problems.

An equally important procedure when planting a fragment of a bush is deepening... However, you should not make it too deep. The maximum you should be guided by is a couple of centimeters. It is also very important to thin out the shoots of a fragment of a delphinium bush. This procedure has quite definite terms, namely - spring, when the height of the bush sprouts reaches ten centimeters.

but thinning delphinium shoots is a procedure that also has a considerable number of nuances. And it is especially important to observe them during the second year of growth of the delphinium. In those bushes that are the most durable and strong, up to three stems are left, and in the weaker ones - only one. This is done so that the perennial delphinium does not wither under its own "weight".

In all the following years, thinning takes place according to exactly the same scheme: from three to four shoots are left on each bush. However, only if the variety is large-flowered.

If you are growing a small-flowered delphinium, you should leave up to ten shoots. All the rest, by the way, are cut to the root collar. In addition, in addition to the fact that the plant is simply easier to cope with maintaining the flowering of fewer shoots, thinning allows the delphinium to produce more and more bright and double flowers every year.

We must not forget that recently planted delphiniums need eye and eye. And caring for them should be as careful as possible. This is especially important when we talk about watering... It should be not only frequent, but also, equally important, very abundant. Up to three buckets of water are poured under each bush, especially if the weather is dry.

It is also important to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves of the Delphinium, since this plant is very susceptible to all kinds of fungi.

Delphinium feeding

Many gardeners often forget about feeding, but this is a big mistake, because feeding with various fertilizers makes the flowers not only brighter and more beautiful, but also terry. In addition, if it was abundant and timely, feeding can significantly increase the flowering period of the delphinium.

Experts agree that the feeding procedure should be carried out on average three times per season. Despite the fact that it is possible to feed the plant more often, it is the number three that is the most optimal.

First feeding held in the spring. For her, exclusively organic fertilizers are used.

The second is carried out in a month (maximum - a month and a half) after the first, and already for it you will need a full range of mineral fertilizers.

Third the same top dressing is foliar. For her, a superphosphate solution is used, which is completely sprayed with a perennial delphinium.

If you want to get a more vigorous flowering from your delphiniums, you should water them at least a couple of times per season with a special boric acid-based solution. In principle, you can also cover the leaves of the plant with a powder, in the same way consisting of boric acid. The effect of this will not change at all.

Delphinium diseases

Unfortunately, the perennial delphinium is the plant that gets sick incredibly often. More precisely, it is very prone to diseases such as powdery mildew or gray rot. And, no less sad, if you find the first signs of the appearance of one of these diseases on the leaves of a plant, it will be too late to try to treat it.

The only optimal way out of this situation is to remove the infected areas.Unfortunately, if this is not done, you can completely lose the delphinium, and therefore your actions should be immediate.

On the other hand, you can still protect your delphiniums from all kinds of fungal and infectious diseases using prevention methods. One of a variety of fungicides or bactericides can be used to prevent disease from occurring.

However, prevention is not the only way to get rid of disease. You can also purchase a strain that has been bred to withstand powdery mildew and many other fungal diseases. Even if these varieties are somewhat more expensive than ordinary ones, you have no idea how much money you will save without resorting to chemicals.

How to prune a perennial delphinium

This is perhaps one of the most important procedures, which perhaps most of all affects the quality of your flowers. However, it is also unusual in delphiniums and has some features, which are discussed below.

Correct pruning of the delphinium

First of all, experts strongly recommend cutting off all faded shoots before the onset of cold weather. However, the same procedure is carried out with other plants. What is the difference between a perennial delphinium? And it differs in that its shoots must be cut directly at the soil level.

The bottom line is that the stems of the Delphinium are hollow inside, and therefore, if you cut them not low enough, you will let the rain pour straight into the plant. We suppose there is no need to explain how harmful it is to the roots. With such an excess of moisture, they may well rot, and in the spring you will find that your delphinium has died.

The optimal length for stems left after pruning is twenty (maximum twenty-five) centimeters. However, in this case, it is necessary to somehow close the holes inside them. For this, clay, for example, is perfect.

A little about annual delphiniums

It should not be forgotten that everything that is written in the article refers, for the most part, exclusively to perennial delphiniums. Annuals reproduce on their own, and therefore do not require such close attention. However, this does not mean that they do not need to be looked after! It only means that caring for them does not require such titanic forces from you.

Conclusion

Delphiniums are incredibly beautiful plants that will definitely not go unnoticed, even if lush roses grow next to them. However, beauty requires sacrifice, and if you want your delphiniums to be truly at their best, you will have to work hard and provide them with the best conditions. We hope our article will help you with this difficult task.