How to Grow Consolida Plants in your Garden

Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Larkspur

Consolida is a hardy annual that reaches from 30 to 120 cm (1 to 4 feet) in height.

The plants are very upright, and can have spires of blue, white, purple or pink flowers.

They bloom from Summer into the beginning of autumn. Consolida plants are also known by their common names of Larkspur and Annual Delphinium.

How to Grow Larkspur and other Consolida in your Garden

Larkspur can be grown outside from seed. The seed should be sown outside before the last frost of spring or in the autumn. Once the seed is laid down it should be lightly covered.

Sow seeds into a sunny area of the garden that has a rich organic soil.

If planning to grow Consolida seedlings indoors then the seeds should first be prepared by placing them (within soil) in a black bag, then putting them in the fridge for two weeks.

Seeds should then be sown out in peat pots and grown in the dark at a temperature of 10 to 12 Celsius (50 to 54°F). They normally take about two or three weeks to germinate.

Seedlings should then be transplanted following the last frost of spring at a spacing of 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 inches).

Caring for Larkspur in the Garden

Larkspur (Consolida) is pretty easy to care for: they should be staked; require a light fertilizing a couple of times over their growing season; and should be dead-headed to prevent them from setting seed and taking over the garden.

I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Consolida plants. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Anemone hupehensis and Nigella plants.