Geophytic Delphinium species, was Delphinium carolinianum

AW awilson@avonia.com
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:43:03 PDT
Dear Mary Sue and others,

Have you tried Delphinium parryi, the one with the large blue flowers? I can
send images. It occurs in the near coastal regions here in southern
California, preferring a liitle more rain than it would get on the coast. It
has been splendid this year after the long, showery winter. I should have
thought it would thrive further north. 

Andrew
San Diego  

Subject: Re: [pbs] Geophytic Delphinium species, was Delphinium carolinianum

I grow a lot of these, but haven't found them to be long lived in the
garden. On the other hand, in containers I move to the shade in the summer
when they are dormant and only occasionally water, they come back nicely.
Delphinium nudicaule and D. luteum have lasted the longest in the garden.
The species are a bit promiscuous and hybridize and seed themselves about as
the seeds often open when they still look green and I haven't gotten around
to dead heading them. 
But because of this I can have late flowering ones blooming in pots where I
didn't plant them from seed that germinated once it started to rain in the
fall. This year I had one species or another blooming from February through
June. There are a few left, but they are definitely on the way out until the
fall. I just grow the California species and mostly the coastal/foothill
ones. The mountain ones need different conditions than I can provide. Some
of them are dormant in winter (under snow) and need abundant summer water
since they are found in wet places. The southern California species I have
grown have dwindled as well.

Mary Sue


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