One day in early May, I was driving past the hardware store. I glanced over in the direction of the gardening center and what I saw made me slam on the brakes.
Finally, after months and months of dreary winter and mushy spring, the flowers had arrived. I turned into the parking lot and practically sprinted to the colorful array of blooms.
I often choose flowers by color and hardiness. Yellows, purples, pinks, and blues are my favorites, even better if they’re perennial and hardy to winter temperatures that reach -20°F and below.
That day, I stumbled upon a row of flowers that made my breath catch in my throat. Tall, stately columns bursting with blooms of blue and purple.
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These were delphiniums. At first I thought they were annual larkspur, and indeed the two are closely related and often. go by the same common name. For more on that relationship, check out our guide to growing delphiniums.
Holding my breath, I checked the tag. I had to have these flowers in my flower bed. I only hoped they’d be hardy enough to survive the winter and return year after year.
Hardy to Zone 3, read the tag. -30 to -40°F.
I suppressed a delighted screech and scooped three plants into my shopping cart.
The beautiful plants (Delphinium spp.) found a home in my front flower bed and have (mostly) thrived there for three summers now.
Have I had enough of these regal members of the Ranunculaceae family yet?
No. No, I have not. Not even close.
I’m planning to clear out the flower bed on the other side of my front stoop and make it into a delphinium bed as well.
I cannot wait for the opportunity to glance
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