Delphinium 'ET DLP 17-11' DELGENIUS™ BREEZIN

Larkspur is a favourite perennial where varieties with blue flowers are most popular. Though, in modern gardens and better garden centres you can find new varieties with pink shades or even purple-red shades as well as white. The name delphinium was used to describe the shape of the flower bud which looks like a dolphin (rather fat one). There are several species that are hybridized with one another so often that in the horticultural world today, rather than species, they are classified as groups that differ from each other in appearance. They are Belladonna Group (upright growth, well-branched, upright, loose spikes with single flowers), Elatum Group (upright growth, often tall, dense spikes with large, single or double flowers), PPacific Hybrids (similar to Elatum but short-lived, rich coloured flowers ), grandiflorum (low growth, small flowers on low stems, short-lived or cultivated as annuals).

Delgenius™ is a larkspur series bred by Dutch breeders Bart Noordhuis and Elisabeth Bisschop for Eternal Plant Boijl BV. Their aim was to come up with varieties that are not only beautiful, but mainly reliable and with better garden performance as opposed to many attractive but short-lived varieties. These are multiple hybrids of elatum and belladonna, which combine the best of each – fully double flowers, beautiful colors, branched stems, and attractive leaves.

DELGENIUS BREEZIN larkspur bears large, fully double flowers with narrow, undulated, and spoon-shaped petals. Their colour is a blend of light indigo blue, violet, and pale mauve. Paler flowers often have dark margins. The flowers almost lack a central bee, i.e., a composition of several dwarf sepals. In this case, there are only a few, inconspicuous sepals in the same colour as the petals.

Deciduous leaves are dark green, matte, palmately divided and distinctly incised. Flowering stems are 40-60 cm tall and the flowers open from the bottom upwards. The main blooming season starts in June and continues until early July. Then the plant spontaneously but scarcely reblooms until late summer, or you can cut it back to the ground after the main blooming phase and let it regrow, which will lead to a second, relatively strong flush of flowers in September and October. It is so beautiful to have a fresh new clump with vibrant flowers late in the season when other perennials have lost their charm and energy.

Grow larkspur in any well-drained, humus-rich garden soil in full sun. It will benefit from mulching as it likes constant moisture. The plant contains toxin which may cause severe discomfort if ingested, or, to some, it may irritate skin. The plant is short-lived unless you dig out the clumps in the spring, divide them and plant back only the young and healthy ones. Use a high phosphorus fertilizer every year for profuse flowering. Fully hardy to min. -34°C (USDA zone 4), possibly more.

Last update 30-04-2023