Larkspur vs delphinium

[littlepooley]

Trying to work out the last of the flowers to grow in my garden next year. I don't have much of a theme in my garden, it's pretty much a blank canvas but I fancied growing some taller flowers to help cover over some of fences one side of the garden, and delphiniums initially caught my eye but now I'm stuck between them or larkspur as they look kind of similar I don't want to grow both.

Which do you have in your garden? Which would you say was easier to grow? Is one better for insects than the other? I do have quite bad clay soil if that will affect the choice! (Working on improving it but it will be a very long job over the next few years as it doesn't seem to have been touched since the house was built 20 odd years ago lol)

Colour might be important to, if there was a variety that was near black, or a very deep purple colour as OH likes black lol and he wouldn't mind so much that I'd bought yet more seeds

Ta for any and all help!

[Snadger]

Larkspur are hardy Annual and very easy. Delphinium are a perennial and a bit more tricky.

I prefer mixed larkspur for there pastel shades, but........................


Why not grow both then you can decide!

[Two_Sheds]

If you like black, you should grow black Scabious. It's amazing, doesn't need staking like Delphs do, and the bees adore it.
Delphs are very enjoyable to slugs too.



I'm growing Delphs myself, as my theme for 2009 is True Blue (Chelsea FC for Mr Sheds )

[vicky]

Larkspur is a lot shorter than delphiniums, but less prone to slug damage. I like Verbena bonariesis for butterflies and it's quite tall too. Hollyhocks (you can get 'black' ones of these too), dark sunflowers, 'black' dahlias - there are some tallish ones, black cornflowers?

[Jenegade]

I planted a Delphinium this year, it was brilliant. Was a gorgeous deep blue colour!

Although we have loads of slugs they didn't seem to care for it, had 3 flower spikes over the summer. Was grown on a recently dug over piece of old field, kinda heavy soil, all I had to do was stake it when it got taller - easy!

[Two_Sheds]

I fancied growing some taller flowers to help cover over some of fences

you'll want something quite tall then? 6ft Hollyhock at the back (I have some black ones), then 3ft Delphs in front of them? white foxgloves? (3ft)

[nick the grief]

how about sequioa for a bit of height at the back of the border

Strange you brought this subject up, I've got a border I'm doing up at the moment and I've got loads of bulbs to go in but I fancy some Delphiniums in there. I tried hollyhocks a few years ago and they really suffered with rust so they came out. But you could have a good selection in there, Delphs at the back ( some of the big jobs what used to be called ellatums) then your larkspur and at the front some good old snap dragons ( these make a passable cut flower as well).

Blackmore and Langdon sell some really nice named varieties ( albeit a tad pricey) but they sell their own seed as well but if you want to keep them slug free ish, lift them and take cuttings and plant them out of a biggish pot later on as it's only really the spring when the succulent new growth appears.