From: beckman@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Leah Beckman)
Subject: Re: Tricks to grow Delphiniu
Date: 4 Aug 1994 19:07:28 GMT

Heidi Curtis (Heidi.Curtis@f52.n105.z1.rain.com) wrote:
: I usually start with plants, rather than seeds, either 
: from the nursery or from someone elses garden.  I have 
: never had much luck with seeds or mail order stock. 


I missed the original post but wanted to make a few comments.  I have
had very good luck starting delphiniums from seed.  Last year, I
started some in early June and they were blooming in early fall.  This
year, I started some early -- probably in Feb.  and they started
blooming sometime in July.  Both of those were "short" varieties --
not more than 3, 3 1/2 feet tall.  I also got some seeds for tall
delphiniums to start this early summer and unfortunately didn't read
the packet until June.  Both varieties of tall delphiniums carried
warnings about not germinating well in heat.  They really wanted temps
in the 60's.  I got a pretty low germination rate from them, though I
currently have, oh, 20-30 plants.  Delphinium seedlings do seem to
have a tendency to go through a period of looking kind of sickly but
do eventually recover (for the most part).  At any rate, based on
these four varieties, the taller ones are trickier to grow from seed.
You do need to be careful to pick varieties that are hardy where you
live.

Barbara Damrosh (sp?), author of The Garden Primer (I think), recommends
adding extra admendments when planting delphiniums to make the soil 
particularily rich.  She also says to toss in some lime if you soil is
at all acidic. I don't add the lime (inexplicably for where I live, my
soil is pretty alkaline), but I do always add extra manure, compost, or
whatever.

Leah Beckman
NJ, zone 5/6