Delphiniums are really hard. You are in a colder zone, so you will certainly have more luck with them than I do. They hate humidity and heat, but I've also heard that they aren't thrilled with the very cold. When I lived in SEattle, they were EVERYWHERE. Grew like weeds, like just about everything else does there. They love that climate, not hot, not cold: Just like England!

Sorry can't be more help as I am not sure when you start seeing signs of life. Good luck!

Thanks for answering threeorangeboys. I don't have a lot of hope of seeing them again but thought I should start thinking about what to use to replace them. It's been so lovely here for the past few days I'm chomping at the bit, even though I know I'm a month ahead of schedule. I see you're from the DC area. One of my favorite cities! Hope you got to enjoy the gorgeous cherry blossoms. Thanks again.

Don't give up, Patreesh!
In a Zone 5 garden, I don't think it would be unusual for them not to emerge for a couple more weeks!
I'm out of town at the moment, but when I left home on Friday, my delphiniums weren't up yet either.

Good luck!
Patti

Don't give up!

My grandmother grew them for years in International Falls, Minnesota (icebox of the nation) zone 3. They're tough enough to make it.

If you have lost them, they are EXTREMELY EASY FROM SEED! One of the easiest plants to grow from seed, as a matter of fact. Just start the seeds indoors, not out in the garden, and they'll do very well for you.

Also, are slugs a problem where you are? They love delphiniums and could be a factor if you've lost yours.

I'm outside of Seattle, zone 8 and mine are just coming up now so be patient. Oh, those blues!

Thanks all for the kind words pattioh and buzzy. I won't give up hope yet - not after hearing they made it through in International Falls!

Pat, good luck with your delph's! I have tried growing them here in MA for many years and have not had any luck. They do fine through the growing season then do not come back for me :( I hope you have better luck. Love them just can't grow em.

I grow delph's here without a problem. Some years they are 9 or so feet tall, other years only 6 to 8. I think it depends on how much fertilizer they get. They are heavy feeders. They are usually slow to pop out of the ground in spring for me....but once they start they grow fast. They also need to be divided every 2 or 3 years here in my garden.

If they don't come back for you, I wonder if the crowns rotted from excess water. My garden is on a hill....so that probably gives the plants some advantage as well.

Lupines make a nice replacement for delphs, but they usually get covered in blue-green aphids. These aphids don't seem to bother anything else in my garden. Also the lupines are not near as tall.

Sierra

Chiming in to add another "don't give up!" to the chorus of delph lovers. : ) I'm in a warmer zone than you and mine are only about 8-10" right now so hang in there.

I do cheat every year and buy some new ones, mainly because I have lots of gardening space and want them everywhere! As for seedlings, mine seem to do best direct sown in the raised beds of my potager. These beds are heavily amended with chicken manure.

Diana

Hi Patreesh,
Yes we sure did get down to see the cherry blossoms! So beautiful.
And see, look at that, I am totally wrong about cold climates. I didn't know delphinium were so hardy! I planted 8 when I first moved here, and they promptly all bit the dust. I think they really hate heat and humidity, so I've resorted to growing their annual version, larkspur, every year. Nowhere near as impressive, but more successful here in the hot and humid clim of DC.

Good luck!

Hi Patreesh. I encourage you to keep trying too. I consider them a must but haven't had much luck getting them to come back either. Until this year. I think I've finally got my soil conditioned well enough in certain beds to give them what they need. They are heavy feeders. After they bloomed, I cut them back and side dressed them with the best compost I could get. I actually got a second bloom out of a couple. Now go figure, the ones I fed like crazy last year are coming up this Spring. The snails immediately went to town on them and I declared war on the snails. I've now got four or five delphs up about 8 inches. Happy dance! Don't give up.

Steven

Petreesh
Hi Lupin here,
My Delphiniums(Annual) are showing now.Tuesday 6 April 08.Im In the South East of England where we are having strange weather its like a "Mad scientist on a weather machine pulling leavers.
Recently over the last month its been warm, very warm, blowing gales freezing cold and blowing gales and yesterday it snowed for the first time this year.But me Delph,s are showing and growing despite the mad climate.

Hi Petreesh
Lupin back again.Steveningen is quite right.

Delphs love feed and I usually use a mixture of fertilizers and composts and manure they love manure.I place it in a dome around the stem of the plant.I cover the dome of fertilizer and compost and S--T with Pea ballast to sod off snails and slugs who will ravage your Delpths overwise.

In South East England Slugs Snails are a huge problem.
When slugs and snails appear in your garden Patreesh try this.. You do not have to drink beer but it works.
Slugs and snails love stale beer and will willingly drown themselves in it, tip all old stale beer in to a large tray and place it on the eadge of the flowerbed and go back and have a look next day it will be full of drunken dead snails.

Hic Ohh I cant slime anymore I gone all giddy?True

I left my delphs at my old place when we moved. They weren't the first to break dormancy, that's for sure. I'm in zone 5/6 and right now all I have coming up are daffs, hyacinth, and a few sprouts of daylilies and hostas. Nothing else yet.

Give them time!

Tracy

Sorry, been gone a couple of days. Thanks to all of you. You guys are great! My stomach hurts from laughing. Lupin, maybe if I drink enough beer I won't care whether or not the delphiniums come up. Good solution! Too bad my ex isn't around - He would have had plenty to spare! I could rent an elephant for the compost/manure aspect of things and I'd really be in business. I shan't give up!

Patreesh -
I'm in zone 6 and grow delphiniums - they're not showing in my garden yet either. It's still a little early.

Don't give up hope!

Estelle

Another Don't give up here! I am in MI and mine are anywhere from just coming through to about 4 inches up...
Also someone else mentioned/asked about how much drainage you had...I have a bed in the back yard that is in a low spot, I planted several there last year but I am thinking that I may have lost a few because this spring we had so much water back there it was standing for a week...I only see 2 peeking up back there now. They like there feet moist but not flooded as I understand it.