Delphinium consolida
DESCRIPTION
An almost unreal beautiful flower in a muted lavender grey tone. Double and single flowers grow up as beautiful shoots and do just as well in the flowerbed as in the bouquet. Has a long shelf life in a vase and is also beautiful when dried. This is a real must-have flower in summer plantings! Note - the plant is poisonous and should be handled with care.
Larkspur is a hardy annual, meaning a summer flower that can withstand some frost and can therefore start to germinate early in the season without being damaged. These varieties can be sown in the fall, which saves you both time and space in the spring when everything is much more intensive with the cultivation.
LIFE CYCLE: ONE YEAR
HEIGHT: 90 -120 CM
COLOR: LAVENDER GREY
GROWING POSITION: SUN
SEEDS/BAG: 20 PCS
PRE-CULTIVATION/DIRECT SOWING
SOWING TIME: APRIL-JUNE + SEPT-NOV (AUTUMN SOWING)
SOWING DEPTH: 0.5 CM
GROOMING TIME: 7-14 DGR
FINAL PLANTING
PLANT SPACING: 25 CM
ROW SPACING: 30 CM
HARVEST FESTIVAL: APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AFTER SOWING
SOWING AND HARVESTING LAVENDER
Growing location : Grown outdoors/in a flowerbed, in a pallet collar or larger pot on the balcony in a sunny location (6-7 hours of sun/day).
AT SOWING
Sow the delphinium indoors in February-May depending on how early you want it to bloom. Place the briquette in lukewarm water and let it swell. Place on a dish or growing tray. Stick a seed 1 cm into the growing briquette and cover the seed with some of the briquette's coconut fibers. It can also be sown in smaller pots filled with potting soil.
Mark the sowing with markers. Specify the variety and date.
Cover the seeds with a transparent cover with air holes. Tip – use a greenhouse with a plastic lid and place a capillary mat in the bottom to provide an even and good water supply. Place on a heating floor or heating mat for extra fast germination.
Water regularly - never let the seeds dry out!
2-3 WEEKS AFTER SOWING
Provide light . When the seed germinates, usually after 12-18 days, it needs light. Remove the plastic and place the seed in a brighter and cooler location.
RETRAINING
Repot the plant when it has 4 leaves, to give it more space. Plant it in a pot measuring approximately 10x10 cm, which is filled with nutritious potting soil. Plant at the same depth as the plant was previously. Water with lukewarm water. Here the plants are then allowed to grow before it is time to plant out.
FINAL PLANTING
Harden off the plant when the risk of frost is over, to accustom it to the outdoor environment. Start with 1 hour/day and gradually increase the time outside. Avoid direct sunlight which is too strong for the tender leaves. After a week or so it is ready for a permanent life outdoors.
Plant the plant in its growing location, for example in a flowerbed or pallet collar, with 25 cm between each plant and 30 cm between each row. Make sure to keep the soil evenly moist to avoid powdery mildew.
Thinning . To get a stronger and more beautiful plant, the plant's thinner stems can be advantageously thinned out. Remove all thin stems when it is a couple of cm high and leave 2-3 strong and healthy stems remaining. Use gardening gloves when handling the flower as it is poisonous.
Feed a few times during the season to enjoy long, beautiful flowering.
HARVEST FESTIVAL
Harvest when 1/3 to 1/4 of the flowers on the stem have opened. Place the flower immediately in cold water. The delphinium will bloom again in late summer or early fall if all wilted flowers are cut off after the first bloom.
