NOTEWORTHY PERENNIALS 77 



n'adin^^ the descriptions in the (•atal()|,^s of certain sorts Hsted as Del- 

 phinium nudicaule, a dwarf orange-scarlet, D. Zalil, a yellow, D. car- 

 dinale, a bright red. These sorts do not have the robust constitution 

 nor the hardiness of the other kinds but they are worth trying. 



Culture. Delphiniums like plenty of sun. The soil should be 

 rich, deeply prepared, a cool, friable loam. Even hot, sandy soils, if 

 watered and fertilized, will produce excellent results. Moisture will 

 increase the size of the flowers and spikes. Cultivate the plants con- 

 stantly with the hoe. Many of the taller sorts are benefited by being 

 staked. If the plants are cut back after blooming and given a period 

 of rest, during which they are neither watered nor cultivated, then if 

 given bonemeal and an abundance of water, they will send up a second 

 crop of bloom in the Fall. Some persons beheve that this weakens the 

 plants. No seed should be allowed to form to keep the plants in a 

 blooming condition. 



Troubles. Some of the best sorts are frequently troubled with 

 blight so that they sometimes live only a few years. Dig dry Rordeaux 

 Mixture about the crowns or spray weekly with ammoniacal copper 

 carbonate. In fact, keep the plants covered with this spray from 

 early Spring until Fall. The foliage is blackened by blight. If you 

 suspect that blight is in your soil, use bonemeal as a, fertilizer, but 

 never use manure. 



Sometimes cut worms and slugs eat the crowns of Delphiniums, 

 so that it is wise to cover the crowns of the plants with ashes at the 

 approach of Winter. Also use a poisoned bait spread at intervals near 

 the plants. 



Propagation. Larkspur seed over a year old will not grow. 

 Except for D. grandiflorum, the Chinese Larkspur, the seedlings will 

 not produce flowers the first year unless sown in March in a hotbed or 

 sunny window. Usually, however, fresh seed is sown in August, in 

 which case they w ill bloom the next year. 



Divide the plants every three or four years in order to keep them 

 from exhausting the soil and becoming too compact in growth. 



The double sorts, which produce no seed, may be rooted from 

 cuttings. Some persons are successful in rooting these in frames during 

 Spring. Samuel N. Raxter in the Florists Exchange advises bury- 

 ing the cuttings in a heap of soil, head first, with only the cut ends 

 exposed. The drying of the wounds for several days causes them to 

 root more easily. 



