Delphinium (Elatum Group) 'M.F. ROSE WHITE BEE'

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), Pacific Hybrids (similar to Elatum but short-lived, rich coloured flowers), grandiflorum (low growth, small flowers on low stems, short-lived or cultivated as annuals). Magic Fountain is a series of mid-sized larkspur with good, strong stems and large flowers, and in order to shorten the whole variety name it is commonly abbreviated to M.F. It belongs to elatum group.

M.F. Rose White Bee is Magic Fountain larkspur variety forming dense and extremely pretty inflorescence composed of large, semi-double, lilac rose flowers decorated with dwarf white petals that look like a bee feasting on their nectar. Basal leaves are mid green, up to 20 cm across, palmate, 3- or 5-lobed. Stems are 90-120 cm tall and from June till July produce flowers in erect spikes. Once the flowering has finished you can cut back the entire plant for the second flush in September and October.

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 23-05-2023