Larkspur Care
Delphinium grandiflorum
A showy flowering plant that likes cool climates; in Manisa's hot summers it is usually grown as an annual. It needs afternoon shade and well-drained, rich soil; all parts of it are poisonous.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- General care: The root (crown) section is dormant; staying too wet in winter can cause rot, so drainage is very important.
- Pests & diseases: Risk of root rot.
- Frost risk: It is cold hardy.
- General care: At the end of the month, signs of waking may appear; clear the surrounding area.
- Pests & diseases: Protect the newly emerging shoots from snails.
- Watering: As the soil dries, 15-20 L/m² per week.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy.
- General care: Rapid growth period; prepare supports (stakes) so the flower stalks do not topple.
- Pests & diseases: Start checking for aphids and powdery mildew.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
- Fertilizing: Switch to a potassium-heavy fertilizer before flowering.
- Plant protection: For powdery mildew (white powdery coating), a fungicide with sulfur or myclobutanil as the active ingredient.
- General care: Tie elongating flower stalks to supports.
- Pests & diseases: Watch out for powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
- Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing while it is in flower.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- Plant protection: Continue controlling powdery mildew.
- General care: Spread a 5-7 cm layer of mulch over the root zone; it retains soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not pile mulch against the trunk.
- Pests & diseases: Check for spider mites.
- Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- General care: Heat stress begins; the plant may weaken and retreat. Mulching is useful to keep the root zone cool.
- Pests & diseases: Heat stress makes the plant open to diseases.
- Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- General care: The plant will probably go dormant or die. You can cut back the stem and wait to see whether it resprouts in autumn.
- Pests & diseases: Root rot and heat stress are the biggest threats.
- Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water so that the soil is wetted 10-15 cm down from the surface.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
- Pruning: Regularly remove spent flowers at the base; this encourages new flowering.
- General care: Sow seeds or plant seedlings for new plants; new basal shoots may be seen on plants that survived the summer.
- Pests & diseases: Protect newly sown seedlings from snails.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
- General care: Seedlings planted in autumn root and strengthen until winter.
- Pests & diseases: Watch for root rot in new seedlings.
- General care: Young plants enter winter dormancy.
- General care: The plant is dormant.
- Frost risk: It is cold hardy.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.
Browse all plant guides