An upright, clump-forming herbaceous perennial to 1.5m in height, with green divided foliage. Strong, upright stems produce open spires of blue-purple flowers with a brown eye from June to September
1-1.5 metres
0.5-1 metres
| Season | Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||||
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | ||||
| Winter |
Grow in a fertile, well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from strong winds. Apply a balanced liquid every couple of weeks in the growing season. For best flower spikes thin shoots when 7cm high to leave a minimum of 2-3 shoots on young plants and 5-7 shoots on established plants. See delphinium cultivation and staking perennials for further advice
Propagate by taking pencil thick basal cuttings in early spring
Deadhead by cutting spent flower spikes back to small flowering side shoots. Cut down all growth to ground level in autumn.
May be susceptible to aphids, earwigs, delphinium leaf miner, delphinium moth caterpillars, slugs, snails and caterpillars
May be susceptible to powdery mildews, delphinium black blotch, crown rot and viruses