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Herbaceous Perennial

Delphinium 'Magic Fountains Dark Blue/Dark Bee' (Magic Fountains Series)

delphinium 'Magic Fountains Dark Blue/Dark Bee'

Voluminous flower spikes feature densely-packed, dark purple-blue flowers, characterised by a unique 'bee shaped' centre. Provides height and colour within borders above a finely cut mound of dark green foliage. Supports bees and other pollinating insects

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Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Ranunculaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming, Columnar upright
Potentially harmful: Humans/pets: Harmful if eaten
Genus: Delphinium can be annuals, biennials or perennials, with palmately lobed basal leaves and showy bowl-shaped flowers in spikes, racemes or panicles
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, away from windy sites. Apply a balanced liquid every couple of weeks in the growing season. For strong flower spikes thin shoots when 7cm leaving a minimum of 2-3 shoots on young plants and 5-7 shoots on established plants. See staking: perennials and delphinium cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown between 15-20°C in early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead by cutting spent flower spikes back to small flowering side shoots. Cut down all growth to ground level after it has withered in autumn

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, earwigs, delphinium leaf miner, delphinium moth caterpillars, slugs, snails and caterpillars

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews, delphinium black blotch, crown rot and viruses

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