Delphinium Pacific hybrids
delphinium
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: June to August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Tall biennials with magnificent spires of large, semi-double flowers and attractive, deeply lobed foliage. The flowers appear in a wide range of colours in early and midsummer, and it is for this that they are so highly prized. Grow them in a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil and provide some support before they get too tall. - Garden care:Fill a seed tray with good compost, scatter the seed onto the surface and lightly cover with a little more compost. Water lightly and keep warm under glass until they are large enough to handle and pot on. Before planting out in early to midsummer, they will need to be hardened off gradually. They will usually flower in their second summer. Seeds that are sown later in the year should be kept in pots and over-wintered in a greenhouse or cold frame before being planted out in late spring.
- Sow: January-May
- Flowering: June-August
- Approximate quantity: 70 seeds.
- Harmful if eaten
Ammi majus
bishop's weed
A billowing, non-invasive cow parsley
Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball'
cornflower
Wonderful near-black flowers
Cleome hassleriana 'Violet Queen'
spider flower
Unusual spider-like, violet flowers
Rosa 'Ballerina'
rose Ballerina (polyantha shrub)
Dainty pink blooms
How to get more flowers
Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has...
Read full articleCottage garden
The traditional cottage garden was an intensive, yet carefree mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers all crowded into a tiny space. Today, this informal charm can be recreated using modern varieties that largely take care of themselves around an...
Read full articleGet more flowers
Deadheading will prevent them setting seed and so use their energy producing a further flush of blooms later on. Plants that respond well to deadheading include annuals such as Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, foxglove, Californian poppy, sweet...
Read full articleChelsea Chop and other methods of extending the flowering season
Many gardeners who are happy, even gung-ho, with the secateurs when pruning shrubs and climbers are surprisingly reluctant to take the shears to herbaceous perennials. Maybe this is because it just doesn’t seem quite right to be cutting back all...
Read full article