HOURS:
Mon to Fri 8am - 6pm
Fri & Sat 8am - 8pm
Sun 8am - 7pm
LOCATION:
8546 Sun Valley Road
Anytown, USA  12345
CONTACT:
phone: 261.788.5500
fax: 261.787.0463
e-mail: info@successgc.com
UP AND COMING
Deer-Resistant Gardening
Master Gardener Dorothy Dupage shares her experiences creating a truly deer-resistant garden in this month's popular 'Garden Talk' installment...
VIEW

Plant Finder

perennial

Sweethearts Larkspur

Delphinium 'Sweethearts'

Add To My Wish List

Sweethearts Larkspur (Delphinium 'Sweethearts') at A Very Successful Garden Center

Sweethearts Larkspur flowers

Sweethearts Larkspur flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Plant Height:  4 feet

Flower Height:  5 feet

Spacing:  30 inches

Sunlight:  full sun 

Hardiness Zone:  2a

Group/Class:  New Millenium Series

Description:

An impressively tall display of lovely pink flowers on towering spikes with either a shell pink or white bee; good vertical form, dense flower spikes and strong stems; excellent uniformity

Ornamental Features

Sweethearts Larkspur features bold spikes of pink flowers with shell pink overtones and white centers rising above the foliage from early to mid summer, which emerge from distinctive purple flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its deeply cut lobed leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Sweethearts Larkspur is an herbaceous perennial with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

  • Insects
  • Disease

Sweethearts Larkspur is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Vertical Accent
  • Mass Planting
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Sweethearts Larkspur will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity extending to 5 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Sweethearts Larkspur is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Articulation  Massing  Garden  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Texture  Plant Form  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features