Michigan Larkspur

Larkspur is the tall, feathery spike that gives an early-summer bouquet its cottage-garden feel. Slender stems stack row upon row of small spurred florets in cobalt blue, violet, soft lilac, rose, and white, above finely cut, almost ferny foliage. It reads airier and looser than its stiff cousin delphinium, which makes it just as useful woven through a mixed arrangement as it is standing on its own.

Larkspur is a cool-season hardy annual in the genus Consolida, once grouped with the perennial delphiniums, so our growers sow it fresh each year rather than gathering it wild. That habit suits Michigan well: larkspur seed germinates in cold soil and the plants relish our crisp spring, sending up their tall spikes as the first real warmth of June arrives.

Like the rest of its family, every part of the plant is toxic if eaten, so we keep it away from kitchens and curious pets, and it is grown strictly as an ornamental cut flower. Handled that way it is one of the most rewarding early-summer stems a Michigan garden can offer, and it dries beautifully for everlasting bouquets.