Crop Rotation Group
Miscellaneous
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Soil
Average garden soil with excellent drainage.
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Position
Full sun.
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Frost tolerant
Good. Where winters are mild, seedlings sprout in autumn and survive until spring.
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Feeding
Fast growth is encouraged by mixing a balanced organic fertiliser into the soil before planting.
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Companions
Upright larkspur makes an ideal flower to grow behind shorter mound-forming bloomers.
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Spacing
Single Plants: 30cm (11") each way (minimum)
Rows: 30cm (11") with 30cm (11") row gap (minimum)
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Sow and Plant
Sow larkspur seeds where you want the plants to grow in autumn, or first thing in spring, making sure they have had a period of vernalisation (cold temperatures). Larkspur can be transplanted with care, but plants grow best from direct-sown seeds.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
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Notes
Well-pleased plants can grow quite tall and may need staking. In many areas, larkspur will reseed with a little encouragement. Colours include pink, purple, lavender, white and many bicolours.
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Harvesting
Larkspurs make wonderful cut flowers. As flowers fade, snip them off with scissors to keep the plants looking neat. Pull up plants when blooms become scarce.
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Troubleshooting
The biggest challenge to growing larkspur is getting the seedlings up and growing. Larkspur is poisonous to pets and horses, but is seldom nibbled due to its bitter taste.
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