Larkspur

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant LungwortGreat, French MarigoldGreat and Belgian EndiveGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Larkspur outdoors about 4 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 25 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 70 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Fernleaf Lavender
  

  Fernleaf LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars that attack Larkspur
  • ❧Larkspur draws Bumblebees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender roots deep while Larkspur feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Oman Lavender
  

  Oman LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Oman Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars that attack Larkspur
  • ❧Larkspur draws Bumblebees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Oman Lavender roots deep while Larkspur feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Bird's-foot Trefoil
  

  Bird's-foot TrefoilGreat pair

  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars that attack Larkspur
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that Larkspur feeds on
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Larkspur

How to grow Larkspur

1. Sow-4 weeks from frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space25 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~70 days

Water: Medium · Height: 100 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile — direct-sow only, dislikes transplanting