Mytime: Long ago I read the history of the Pacific Giants. As far as I recall they are not pure elatum, as some short lived californian species somehow got involved in the beggining, and it still shows. And even if I remember wrongly,I know they were NOT SELECTED either for longevity or resistance to diseases(mildew).It is not only 'my problem' . You can read about it on each second delphinium site, or ask any serious delphinium developer. You were just lucky, that's all. So my warning is still valid: no Pacific Giants or ANY of their relatives. Pure elatum hybrids grow well for me in the same situations. The loudly advertised hybrids from New Zealand(Royal Aspirations among them) are advertised as having strong stems, not needing staking. It was not true for me.

At the risk of being redundant and a bore, I sowed one pkt this past spring in McDonald's salad tray, covered it w/vented lid and stuck in fridge for stratification for ONE day. Guy on I think it was perennials forum said to take them out of the fridge, set them out, they'll sprout, did so immediately, set in total shade on the north side of the house, they did in very short order. Lid off once they sprout. Seeds were from swallowtail, Blue Bird, supposed not to need staking, 100 in the pkt at least 50% germination, xplanted into oversize cell packs and set in flat. Some more germinated but lost them when they got flooded in a downpour. Was a rough summer with the hard rain (would beat down tiny seedlings), shuffling them in and out of the house and had to watch because the flat didn't drain. Plus I should have not done the slits but burned holes in salad trays although worked well before on other stuff. Anyway by that time I had about 27 plants (lost some xplanting as usual), 15 made it through the summer to the point I could set them in the ground in about early-to-mid September, good root systems. Put soda bottles over them w/cap off to give the green a better start and roots a better chance to spread and grow deeper which they should have anyway. So they survived a couple lighter freezes, warmed up, and darned if just one didn't send up a bloom shoot. Forecast bad by Dec 3 (unusual to not lose plants by that late some still going), so snipped the shoot off, brought it in the house and set it under my lights in a vase w/3 alyssum I snipped off. The A's last a long time in a boquet BTW. 11 days later just one bud out of the small cluster burst into bloom, and this is what I got. Never expected to see that first year, was delighted. If all goes well with the winter, they should bloom next year. I did some reading up on them, they're not long-lasting perennials (generally), and not to let ice build up in the crown, they don't like that and more stuff I can't remember. Bought 2 more pkts of seeds to sow in the spring again, won't WS those.

I've given up on the varieties you mentioned, and anything closely related. The best substitute i've had for delph's is the larkspur previously mentioned. you can buy varieties with double flowers, and thru judicious thinning of singles, each year, can enjoy really beautiful delph-like displays in purple, pink, mauve, lavender, white and picotees. Zero maintenence, reseeds nicely. I have a delph. cardinalis from annies annuals i'm trying, so far it's looking good, and is putting up a flower stalk. the next test will be if it survives to next year. The only lupines i've had flower succussfully are lupinus succulentus, l. palaestinus and l.hirsutissimus. They are all very modest flowers, but the native bees love them, and the honey bees, and i don't have to go thru the pain anymore of watching something die slowly before my eyes, as i did with the showy hybrids. they all reliably reseed and require less water. Mo

"I have never never quite understood this. Is it simply that there is nothing to gain from fertilization at this time? OR, is it counterproductive to fertilize at this time?" From my experience, there's a couple reasons... First, they just don't need it. Second, just-germinated seedlings are very tender. They are very susceptible to fungi, and fertilizers can feed algae (it's very common to see algae growing on fertilized seed-starter medium.) The algae, in turn, can give place to molds and fungi - like 'damping off'. Also, keep in mind the amount of mass in a new seedling, versus one a week old. Fresh seedlings double in mass VERY, VERY quickly. The less mass of the plant, the more the concentration of fertilizer. Imagine an ounce of half-strength fertilizer on a just-germinated seedling. Now imagine that same ounce of half-strength fertilizer on a full-grown plant. Where that ounce can potentially burn a young seedling, it's not enough to even help a plant with much more mass. Waiting a few days, until the seed's resources are just about depleted, gives the seedling time to become established, and gain the mass and biological systems it needs to process the ferts.