Focus on Flowers

Larkspur


Listen Later

Larkspur is a member of the Delphinium family and though native to Europe, it grows well in North America. The plant is poisonous if eaten by cattle but fortunately only mildly toxic to domestic pets and people. 

Its colors are shades of blue/purple, white, and pink, and its tall upright habit and ferny, lacy foliage is good in combination with other garden plants. Larkspur likes well drained soil in full sun and is a good cut flower. 

In my midwestern garden I cannot grow perennial delphiniums or perennial larkspur. So, I buy packets of annual larkspur seeds and just sprinkle them in my beds (unmulched, as mulch often has a seed germination deterrent) in early spring. I am rewarded with pretty flowers that meld well with many of my perennials. For example, I have a bed of white iris, and the larkspur grows up and blooms before the iris have finished their show. Larkspur also blend nicely with daylilies because of their height. Larkspur seeds germinate best between 40-50F in zones 4-7. 

I would not be without my annual larkspur, which I have enjoyed year after year and some often self-seed and return, but in order to be sure, I always buy some seeds. I don't want to risk a year without it!

 Note: Larkspur grows well in zones 4-7 but needs protection to self-sow below zone 5. Field larkspur grows wild in cornfields throughout Europe.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Focus on FlowersBy Indiana Public Media

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

6 ratings


More shows like Focus on Flowers

View all
Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,687 Listeners

Gardeners' Corner by BBC Radio Ulster

Gardeners' Corner

104 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

274 Listeners

Pod Save America by Pod Save America

Pod Save America

87,868 Listeners

The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy by Jill McSheehy

The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

809 Listeners

Super Cool Plants - Formerly Known as Let's Argue About Plants by Fine Gardening Magazine

Super Cool Plants - Formerly Known as Let's Argue About Plants

402 Listeners

The joe gardener Show - Organic Gardening - Vegetable Gardening - Expert Garden Advice From Joe Lamp'l by Podcast – joe gardener® | Organic Gardening Like a Pro

The joe gardener Show - Organic Gardening - Vegetable Gardening - Expert Garden Advice From Joe Lamp'l

1,871 Listeners

Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

Ologies with Alie Ward

24,585 Listeners

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care by Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

881 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,331 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,462 Listeners

The Cut Flower Podcast by Roz Chandler

The Cut Flower Podcast

26 Listeners

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends by Sarah Raven

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

209 Listeners

Gardening Simplified by Newsradio WOOD 1300 and 106.9 FM (WOOD-AM)

Gardening Simplified

133 Listeners

The Backyard Bouquet Podcast: Cut Flower Farming Podcast for Flower Farmers & Backyard Gardeners by Jennifer Gulizia of The Flowering Farmhouse

The Backyard Bouquet Podcast: Cut Flower Farming Podcast for Flower Farmers & Backyard Gardeners

93 Listeners