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Author Topic: Delphinium  (Read 2514 times)

Ed Alverson

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Delphinium
« on: May 07, 2007, 12:36:07 AM »
I've been enjoying the photographs of plants in the wild that have been posted recently, so I thought I would post some photos of our local flora here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  Delphinium is one of my favorites, according to Flora of North America there are 108 species, subspecies, and varieties that are native to North America.  In the state of Oregon there are some two dozen species, and here in the Willamette Valley there are six species, some of which are very rare and considered endangered.  Flower color ranges from purple to blue to red, yellow or white, but  in the Willamette Valley they are either blue/purple or white. 

My impression is that Delphinium species are generally easy to grow excelt that slugs and snails love their foliage, it is like candy to them.  As long as you can keep the slugs off, especially when the plants are seedlings, they will be ok.  The other factor to keep in mind in regard to garden use is that the foliage is poisonous and perhaps not safe for young children to graze on.

Delphinium menziesii is our first species to bloom.  It is quite variable in size and number of flowers, it also has a large elevation range and can be flound flowering from April until July depending upon the elevation.  Here is a low elevation population located in a prairie remnant near Eugene.
Ed Alverson, Eugene, Oregon

Ed Alverson

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Re: Delphinium
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2007, 12:41:37 AM »
Another native Delphinium that is blooming right now is Delphinium trolliifolium.  It occupies the other end of the spectrum from D. menziesii, being a tall plant of moist forest habitats.  It has racemes of many large, blue-purple flowers.  This population is growing in a park along the Willamette River right next to downtown Eugene.  It provides a wonderful spring display, not only do the flowers attract insects (especially bumblebees), but there was a hummingbird pollinating the flowers in this patch while I was taking the photos.
Ed Alverson, Eugene, Oregon

Ed Alverson

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Re: Delphinium
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2007, 12:45:59 AM »
I've been visiting the park with the Delphinium trolliifolium on a weekly basis to take photographs that show its development.  It is amazing how rapidly the plants burst out of the ground and develop in to full blooming size.  These photos were taken every two or three weeks between March 11th and May 5th.  Its companion here is our native false Solomon's seal, now known as Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule.
Ed Alverson, Eugene, Oregon

Maggi Young

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Re: Delphinium
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2007, 10:54:48 AM »
These habitat photos are truly of interest, Ed.  You are getting good blues for us, too! I do not doubt that your camera is giving us a true image of the colour... which is surely the charm of these blue forms.
Amazing, as you say, to see how quickly the growth emerges to full flower...it takes someone making repeat shots to capture the essence of the place and the plants. When we see the full impact of the glade of D.trolliifolium it is stunning but the more subtle beauty of the little "sprinkles" of D.menziesii are hard to beat!
 Thank you!
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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