Consolida ajacis
Garden larkspur, rocket larkspur, delphinium: its botanical name comes from the Greek delphis, meaning dolphin, because the flower bud resembles its silhouette before opening. Its French name comes from the slender spur at the back of each flower, which evokes a lark’s claw.
Characteristics:
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Colorful spikes: blue, pink, or white flowers grouped on upright spikes in summer.
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Dwarf variety: compact growth ideal for borders and small spaces.
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Annual: not to be confused with perennial delphiniums, it completes its life cycle in a single season and self-seeds.
Precautions:
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All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, especially the seeds, which contain alkaloids. Do not consume them under any circumstances, and keep them out of reach of children and pets.
- Wash your hands after handling, as the sap may irritate sensitive skin.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun, essential for abundant flowering.
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Soil: ordinary, light, cool, and well-drained, preferably alkaline. It dislikes heavy soil and stagnant moisture. Soil that is too rich produces weak stems that flop: do not overfertilize.
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Method: sow directly in place in autumn (for earlier and more vigorous flowering) or in spring, lightly covering the seeds: they germinate better in darkness and cool conditions. Its taproot does not tolerate transplanting well: avoid sowing in pots. See how to sow your seeds.
Care advice:
- Thin to 20 cm apart. Water moderately. Remove faded flower spikes to prolong flowering, or leave a few to produce seeds.
Beneficial combinations:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its long, nectar-bearing spurred flowers are suited to long-tongued insects: bumblebees and butterflies are its main visitors.
- It is part of the traditional community of cornfield flowers, now in sharp decline in the countryside.
Uses:
- Flower beds, borders, and small spaces. An excellent cut flower, both fresh and dried: its spikes retain their color remarkably well in dried bouquets.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Leave a few spikes to form their small follicles, then harvest them as soon as they turn brown and before they open. Handle the seeds carefully and label them clearly, given their toxicity. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Sales reserved for amateur gardeners seeking quality and authenticity.
