Delphinium

Day 256: When I first moved into my home over twenty years ago, the flowerbeds beneath the two big living room windows were entirely overgrown with grass and weeds. With the help of a friend, we dug them to a depth of eighteen inches and sifted the soil through our fingers to remove roots, rocks and shards of glass. In the process, we discovered a number of root masses which we felt sure were those of cultivated species, so we laid them aside and replanted them when the weeding was done.

That summer, I was delighted to find that some of what we had saved were Delphiniums. A relative of Larkspur, Deliphiniums can grow to heights approaching eight feet. Their blue flowers attract hummingbirds as well. Smaller varieties are available in yellow and rose, but in the large version, several shades of blue occur, and most have the white "bee" in each blossom. They flower most profusely in early to mid-June, but frequently will put up a few smaller, shorter flower spikes in Autumn.