Our gardening columnist also talks about California natives this week.
Everyone loves delphiniums, just as everyone loves dolphins, and in fact there is an etymological connection between them.
The word delphinium, whose scientific and common name are the same, is derived from dolphin and describes the shape of its flower buds before they open. Larkspur is another name for delphinium that you sometimes hear. The larkspur appellation derives from the shape of the nectary at the base of one the sepals that surround delphinium flower petals. This nectary is thought to resemble the claw or spur of the meadowlark.
Just recently, Klima wrote me about his success in growing hybrid New Zealand delphiniums. These delphiniums were developed by Terry Dowdeswell, a horticulturist in New Zealand who, in 1985, saw the need for a delphinium for the cut flower market that could be grown from seed. Importing and hybridizing delphinium seed from all over the world, he was successful in creating cultivars that not only produce long-lasting cut flowers but are excellent for simple ogling in the flower garden as well.
Klima described his protocol for growing hybrid New Zealand delphiniums from seed last year as follows: “I started the seeds in plastic trays in September on my back patio that has bright indirect light. I used a sterilized seed starting medium from Orange County Farm supply to prevent damping off . The seeds were covered with fine perlite, well watered, and then covered with wet newspaper until the seeds germinated.
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