Delphinium

Elegant and regal, Delphiniums are best known for their use in English cottage gardens. Also known as Larkspur, these perennials have mounds of dark, glossy foliage where large flower spires emerge covered in showy blooms throughout the summer in shades of pink, blue, purple or white. Delphiniums come in varieties that grow from 3-6 feet tall to more compact selections that grow 10-12 inches tall. Choose a site with well-drained soil in full to part sun and keep consistently moist. You may have to stake some of the taller varieties to keep the blooms from blowing over in strong winds. Blooming in early summer, Delphiniums will reward you with repeat blooms in late summer to fall if deadheaded. That should not be difficult as the blooms make excellent additions to cut flower arrangements.