Delphiniums from California
Mary Sue Ittner (Thu, 05 Jun 2003 22:39:26 PDT)

Dear John,

O.K. of course you knew you could get my attention since native Delphiniums
are another favorite of mine. You probably saw Delphinium cardinale. It is
a tall red one (although I have a yellow flowering one) from southern
California. To quote Glenn Keator:
" Another of the large species, this comes from deep, woody roots and sends
up stems to six feet on hot slopes near chaparral in southern California.
Unlike most foothill species, this does not flower until late spring or
early summer, and will take a rest later, but to thrive, it needs heat
during the growing period. The tall stalks bear dozens of bright red,
long-spurred flowers. Spectacular at the back of a border and a good
hummingbird flower."

It is one of the ones I grow, but probably the one that is the least happy.
I can't really provide the heat it wants and the snails and slugs will
decimate it quickly if you don't watch. I have two in containers that are
going to bloom this year and one in the ground that is not and a couple
others that are going dormant already.

Once I learned to treat our native Delphiniums like geophytes and let them
sit out the dry summer without water there have been quite a few species
that have come back for me. I have lost very few in containers, but more
planted out. I have one species or another in bloom from sometimes December
or January through June or July. Delphinium nudicaule first, then D. patens
ssp. patens and D. luteum, later D. hespericum (and D. hespericum ssp.
pallescens). Delphinium parryi is especially beautiful (another southern
California species). Delphinium hansenii ssp. hansenii, Delphinium
uliginosum, and D. variegatum are all blooming now. D. cardinale and D.
menziesii are yet to bloom. D. menziesii is the most gorgeous color of
blue. Some of the earlier ones bloomed for two or three months. Maybe they
would last longer if they were deadheaded. There are some that actually
qualify as geophytes since they have tubers and I grow some of those.
Others are more like woody rootstocks. My friend Jana gave me a clone
someone had made of a summer growing Delphinium nudicaule that bloomed all
summer one year when I did deadhead it. I see it has reseeded in my mystery
Ornithogalum pot which is just about to bloom and here in that pot is this
tiny red Delphinium.

I think Dell is generally willing to offer seed in the BX of geophytes and
companion plants as well and I have sent seed in the past. I have saved
seed again of some of them, but never know whether if I have given it
before if everyone who might want it has gotten it. And there is always the
chance that since I grow so many even though I segregate them a bit the
seed I have is hybrid seed.

I highly recommend California's delphiniums, especially the ones that come
from coastal and foothill areas for Mediterranean climates. At least they
work for me.

Mary Sue