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pudge2b

Drying Annual Larkspur vs. Perennial Delphinium

Pudge 2b
18 years ago

Hello all. I've not posted on this forum before so will just mention as an introduction that for a number of years I've been growing and drying annual & perennial ornamental grasses and various grains (wheats, oats, etc), then make arrangements to sell at craft fairs.

Next year I want to grow & dry some more colourful items so am planning on what I will grow to combine with the various perennials I already have growing. I've only dabbled a bit in drying flowers.

As I read thru past posts I see Larkspur mentioned time and again. Can anyone tell me if Larkspur is better than Delphiniums for drying? I am blessed to have the soil and climate that Delphiniums love and they grow with ease for me and produce a ton. If they dry equally as well as the annual Larkspur, then perhaps I don't need to grow the Larkspur, well, at least not any blue.

Comments (5)

  • sylky00
    18 years ago

    Welcome to the board. I am green with envy-delphiniums do not grow well in our heat & humidity; larkspurs are easier to grow for those of us who can't grow delphiniums. When I can get the larkspurs to grow, they are still shorter & skimpier than normal. I dried some blue delphinium from left-over wedding flowers, and they dried beautifully.So, you probably don't need to grow larkspur...

  • Pudge 2b
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks sylky00. Yes, I've read many times where gardeners from warmer climates think of delphiniums as a short lived perennial and have constant trouble growing them, and many mistakenly believe they are not very cold hardy. Our climate is on the dry side and the soil is somewhat to very alkaline. I generally do not fertilize the delphiniums, nor water them unless we've gone a very long time without rain. We generally go into winter very dry, and I think that this is often the demise of delphinium in warmer climates where fall can be very wet. Our snow falls on fairly dry soil and rarely do we get mid-winter thaws (certainly not enough to thaw the soil).

    But don't you worry - I am more than green with envy over the selection of what grows in zone 6 - the variety of ornamental grasses to begin with. And the shrubs....

    I will probably still grow some pink Larkspur, and perhaps white since I only have a couple of white delphinium plants.

  • kms4me
    18 years ago

    Delphiniums are slightly more likely to re-hydrate than larkspur. Delphiniums are also a lot bigger and look out of scale compared to larkspur in smaller arrangements. I also think larkspur holds its color better.

    Kate

  • cheerpeople
    18 years ago

    I like them both and find them both to be delicate as dried flowers.

    I use bundles of larkspur lashed together is filler in shorter arrangements. I saw a nice garland done with many lashed on a string-- actually it was how she was drying them and then hung it to drape a door frame from top to bottom!

    i use 'pacific giants' delph as tall statements in arrangements. i find that to dry them and have them face OUT instead of UP that I must dry them upside down for a few days then flip them right side up and continue drying that direction. I am not fond of the ones with the dark bee. It think it makes the center of the flower look dirty.

    So it depend on it your doing a petite arrangement or something with height- both work in their own way...
    karen

  • jansblooms
    18 years ago

    If you're looking for lasting color, try gomphrena (globe amaranth). I really like the magenta/deep violet that often comes in a mix. The white seems to turn "dirty yellow" as it dries. There's also a 'Strawberry Fields' that I haven't grown yet. Deep-colored celosia, the cockscomb type, also holds color as it dries if you dry it in a dark closet. After it has been left out a while (as in a craft bouquet) it will no doubt fade.

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