If there is one flowering plant that gardeners the world over dream of, lust over and never give up trying to grow, then surely it must be the majestic delphinium with its massive spires of gorgeous blooms.

Towering over most other border plants, these stunning blooms can rise to well over six feet in height and are densely packed around the stem, they are found in colours ranging from a vibrant purple blue, through other blue, mauve and lavender shades to greys and whites or from deep carmine and flaming scarlet to rose and pink hues in both single and double forms.

Cool climate perennial plants, established in such climes, often have more than a dozen flowering spikes at the same time. These stately plants can successfully be cultivated as annuals in the plains of Pakistan, although they are unlikely to reach their full height and will probably have no more than a single flower stem over the short season. However, they are still well worth growing, particularly if planted in eye catching clumps, for the unmatched beauty of their display. The blue range in particular, especially the deep dark blues, are unparalleled for the knock-out effect they have on anyone who unexpectedly comes across them.

To grow delphiniums purely as annual plants the seed should be sown before the end of September, the seed trays or pots being kept well out of direct sunlight which can be scorching, come October  before temperatures begin to cool down for the all too short winter months. Compost must be well draining, of good quality and the planting site should have lots of well rotted, old, organic manure/compost worked in as these plants are very heavy feeders indeed. Keep the seed tray/pots moist but not soaking wet and protect every which way you can from the predations of slugs and snails which seem to home in on delphiniums from miles around and gobble them up in seconds. This applies not only to the emerging seedlings but to mature plants too, so protection from these nasty crawlies is an absolute must at all times.

Seedlings should be planted out in their growing position, full sunlight is best, when they have developed four to six leaves and need planting two to three feet apart when grown as annuals, and three to five feet apart if you are lucky enough to live somewhere that they can be cultivated as the perennials they actually are. Staking is important otherwise the top heavy flowering stems will topple over or snap during windy weather or in rain. Stakes should be emplaced at the time of planting out the seedlings, because if you wait and do this chore later then you may well damage the tender roots when hammering the stake in the ground. Use soft string, not wire, to fasten the stems to the stakes. Delphiniums adjust well to pot cultivation as long as the pots used are large and deep enough. Ample food and water are extremely important if your plants are to have any hope of developing a reasonable sized flowering spike.

Perennial plants should have any weak stems removed as soon as they can be identified after they emerge in spring otherwise these mature plants will waste precious energy trying to maintain these rather than concentrating on just the stronger shoots. Professional delphinium growers in cool climates often remove any flowering shoot that appears before the plant is four years old at which age they let it run riot and reap astonishing rewards for their perseverance and patience.

Basically, there are three different types of this kind of delphinium Belladonna, Elatum and Pacific Hybrids.

Belladonna Delphiniums bear spurred flowers on stems three to four feet tall so are more suitable for windy locations than others.

Elatum Delphiniums grows six feet plus and usually have semi-double blooms.

Pacific Hybrids are similar to Elatum but are the most suitable species for growing as annuals.

Delphinium Elatum — Pacific Giants 'Round table' come out on top of my recommended list and, with names like 'King Arthur', 'Guinevere', 'Galahad', Black Knight' and 'Astolat' their legendary splendour really comes magically to life.

I would follow this with Delphinium grandiflorum 'Summer Stars', 'Summer Blues' and 'Summer Nights' which at only a foot tall can be planted in front of 'Round table' to complement the unbeatable chorus.

For those with something even smaller in mind, Delphinium grandiflorum 'Blauer Zwerg' is an ideal pot or rockery plant at only eight to 12 inches tall and no staking required.

Then there is that other easy to grow, (no garden should be without it) well known annual delphinium species commonly known as 'Larkspur' which has all the beauty of its majestic cousin minus any of the hassles. Larkspur, in exactly the same colour range and in both single, semi-double and fully double forms should be sown right at the beginning of November for masses of spring flowers over a reasonably long period of time. It is one of those essential 'sow and forget' types of flowers with which even an absolute beginner cannot go wrong as long as they remember to water from time to time.

Seed is best sown directly where it is to flower as, if started out in pots/trays and then transplanted, the plants suffer a set back from which they may not fully recover and their flowering capacity is reduced. Larkspur is not particular about soil type, though the richer the soil the stronger the resultant plants will be and will tolerate a certain amount of drought unless spring temperatures suddenly soar when, if not watered, it will stop flowering and produce tons of excellent seed instead, all ready and waiting to be harvested for next sowing season.

Larkspur ranges in height from one to four feet tall so is not at all insignificant in the garden; plus, it makes an excellent cut flower which lasts for a week or so in a vase as long as the water is changed daily. Adding an aspirin to the water assist longevity.

The 'Exquisite Series' of Larkspur, in a palette of scarlet, carmine, rose, white, blues and deep blues really lives up to its name and, even more, it self seeds all over the place so, unless you are a perpetual 'digger', will come up all on its own, year after year after year. Wonderful flowers!

1. Criss-cross.
2. Just opening.
3. Bi-coloured blues.
4. Delphinium glory.
5. Larkspur.
 
Please continue sending your
gardening queries to

zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of this magazine. This takes time. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail.