Plant of the Week
Rocket Larkspur (Delphinium ajacis)
Thanks to Melissa Stevens at Zanthan Gardens for this great picture.
Rocket larkspur is an annual spring-blooming wildflower that comes in many colors from pastel pink and blue to more vibrant tones of those colors, along with white. It's an easy one to grow from seed and does a great job to fill in those blank spaces among your dormant perennials or summer annuals that you've just pulled out.
You do want to plant it from seed when nights are cool, so this is the perfect time of year. Between 50 and 60 degrees at night is the perfect time for this seedling. The seeds are very small so just cover them lightly with soil. They don't have to be evenly spaced. Broadcast them like you would other wildflowers. They look best in masses. If you get too many in one spot, you can transplant a few to another area.
Plant in full sun to part shade or even under deciduous trees. Good drainage is important. In spring, when they're really lush and full, and we get those first hot humid days, you may see brown leaves or plants falling over. That's a typical sign of too much water and lack of air circulation.
When the seedpods turn brown in late spring, snip them off into a bucket. Let them dry, and store in baggies or containers to plant again next year. They will also come back from the seeds that naturally fall to the ground. But, if you have a color that you really like, or want to share the seeds with others, like Melissa has, dry and save them to pass along or plant where you want them next fall.
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