Enjoy the majesty of Delphinium King Arthur towering up at the back of the border and clothed in royal blue flowers. These elegant spikes of double and semi-double blooms all have a contrasting white 'bee' at their centre. They’re nectar-rich for your pollinators, a stately presence in your garden and an exceptional cut flower.
🌸 Flowering: June to September
📏 Height: 150-180cm
🌿 Perennial
Sow: early sowings in January or early February can flower in their first year, otherwise sow from March to September. Use seed trays or pots and lightly cover seeds with compost or vermiculite. Keep at 15-18°C. Germination is quite quick at 2-3 weeks. Pot up and grow on. Autumn sowing allows them to establish small root systems before going dormant for the winter, ready to grow away quickly in the spring.
Grow: early sowings can be planted out in the summer (they will die back in the winter). They take 2-3 years to reach their full size and should be spaced 50cm apart. Protect young plants from slugs and snails and stake those flower spikes before the wind has a chance to blow them about. For the best flower spikes, thin shoots to leave 2 or 3 on young plants and 5 to 7 shoots on established plants; this concentrates their efforts. Water the base of the plant deeply once a week or more often during hot spells. Use mulch to lock in moisture and keep the soil cool. Cutting back spent flower spikes after the first summer bloom can encourage a second flush.
Enjoy: this is one to be patient with. They take a few years to reach their full glory but, once they do, those towering flower spikes are well worth waiting for.
🏡 In your garden
• Cottage and informal gardens
• Cutting gardens
• Pollinator plantings
• Flower borders and beds
✂️ Cut flower
• Strong, long stems add vertical structure to arrangements and large statement vases.
• Cut the stems right when the lower buds begin to show colour.
• Fresh vase life of 6 to 8 days.
🐝 Wildlife friendly
• Attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to the garden during the summer months
• A second flush of flowers in the autumn will extend the food supply for local pollinators.
💡 Did you know?
• The contrasting white centre is known as the 'bee', apparently because someone thought it looked like a little bee sitting in the middle of the flower!
• In the traditional language of flowers, delphiniums were associated with an open heart, joy and goodwill.
⚠️ CAUTION
All parts of the plant are toxic if eaten. Keep seeds and plants away from children and pets.
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