Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis

  • 10 Replies
  • 13691 Views

Umbrian

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« on: August 17, 2011, 10:43:09 AM »
At this time of the year in our valley, after the wheat and barley has been harvested and the straw baled and taken away, many of the fields shimmer with a blue haze that on closer inspection turns into a more vivid blue. Hundreds of plants, of what I believe to be Forking Larkspur, colonise the previously bare soil between the rows of grain taking advantage of the increased light. I collected some seed several years ago and now have it scattered about the garden where the plants germinate in the spring, grow to about 40cm in height and flower continuously until the end of summer providing brilliant splashes of blue.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2012, 03:32:17 PM by Alisdair »
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

Umbrian

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur(?)
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2011, 10:46:56 AM »
Am now posting second photo of individual plant taken on the edge of the field. (First one did not go!)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

*

Alisdair

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
Re: Forking Larkspur(?)
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2011, 12:05:35 PM »
What a lovely sight, Carole, the distant shimmer slightly reminiscent of flax. Thanks for letting us see - a glass of chilled wine and a soft tussock to sit on, and I'd be in heaven.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

Umbrian

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur(?)
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2011, 02:00:04 PM »
Can provide both Alisdair if ever you have the time to come and see us!
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

*

oron peri

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
    • http://www.greentours.co.uk/Leader/Oron-Peri/
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur(?)
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2011, 03:37:04 PM »
The latin name is Consolida regalis.
Garden Designer, Bulb man, Botanical tours guide.
Living and gardening in Tivon, Lower Galilee region, North Israel.
Min temp 5c Max 42c, around 450mm rain.

Umbrian

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2012, 08:42:07 AM »
This wild flower is proving to be really garden worthy for me. It seeds prolifically but is never a nuisance as unwanted seedlings pull out very easily and the light, airy nature of its growth enables it to fill in spaces between other subjects without being to their detriment. This year it has performed wonderfully in the garden coming into flower in May and, after a lull in flowering, is again smothered in intensley blue flowers after the end of august rains. Unfortunately, due to the strange weather patterns we have experienced this year, it did not colonise the fields around us as it usually does after the harvest of the grain.(See previous posting) The grain was harvested early and as soon as the drought ended the fields were ploughed.
Perhaps we could start a topic on the use of "wild" flowers in the garden? - or do we already have one?  Of course many of us do already make use of them perhaps without realising, lavender and thymes for example, the definition of "wild" being open to differing interpretations :-\. Forking Larkspur, Consolida regalis, is one I would certainly recommend. In the Blamey/Grey-Wilson "Mediterranean Flowers" it is described as flowering from May to July but as I have said it is still going strong in my, unwatered ,garden now.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2012, 03:32:49 PM by Alisdair »
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

Daisy

  • Sr. Member
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2013, 11:02:48 AM »
I am having a lot of trouble with Consolida regalis.
Last year, I didn't receive the seeds until early spring. I sowed them immediately,but not a single one germinated. :'( :'( :'(
So I tried again last autumn. So far out of two packets of seeds, I have only four plants.
Does anybody know, what I am doing wrong?
Daisy :)
Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

*

Fleur Pavlidis

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2013, 09:08:54 AM »
I can't answer your question, Daisy, by why not grow Consolida ajacis (syn. C. ambigua) instead. It self-seeds beautifully in the MGS garden.
MGS member, Greece. I garden in Attica, Greece and Mt Goulinas (450m) Central Greece

David Bracey

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2013, 02:26:31 PM »
I seen this growing in old Yugoslavia (not sure which state/country) as a weed by the side of the road and in fields of cereals.
MGS member.

 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.

Daisy

  • Sr. Member
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2014, 09:18:26 AM »
Well, the second lot of seeds germinated well, flowered and have now reseeded.
I love their beautiful blue, but I didn't know that they would start to flower so early in the year. I have been watching the buds swell all through February. I took this photo yesterday.
Daisy :)


feb 2014 010 by Daisyincrete, on Flickr
Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

Umbrian

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Forking Larkspur - Consolida regalis
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2014, 08:14:15 AM »
Lovely 'photo of the Forking Larkspur Daisy capturing its intense colour perfectly. It is such a useful plant needing very little space to make a big impact, weaving its delicate, branching stems through other subjects. I just rely on self seeded plants now and try to shake some between established perennials in the autumn. Have not seen any evidence of seedlings yet here - far too early despite a mild winter although weeds are growing apace. As  mentioned in my first ever post about this plant, I first noticed it growing in the fields around us after the grain harvest. This was in late summer/ early autumn when blue strips appeared in the otherwise bare fields. The odd shower and increased light,when the competition had been removed, allowed the seeds to germinate and the plants started to flower when quite young and short.( In the garden the plants grow much taller and branch well ) In view of this I would think later sowings of seed would do well and take over from plants beginning to be past their best although mine do continue to grow and flower into late autumn. :)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.