From our perspective as Delphinium plants, our primary goal is to reach for the sun to photosynthesize and produce stunning flower spires that attract pollinators. Our genetics code for impressive height, often 5 to 8 feet tall. However, this magnificent vertical growth comes with a structural vulnerability. Our stems are hollow, a design that allows for rapid growth and efficient nutrient transport but offers little resistance to horizontal forces like wind and heavy rain. Without your intervention, the weight of our own flower-laden spikes, combined with a sudden gust, can easily cause us to bend or break at the base or between flowering nodes. This is not merely an aesthetic issue; a broken stem is a severed lifeline, drastically reducing our ability to draw water and nutrients, compromising our health, and ending our reproductive display for the season.
The most supportive action you can take is to provide stakes early in our growth cycle. The optimal moment is when we are approximately 12 inches tall. At this stage, our root systems are establishing, and our stems are young and flexible. Introducing support now allows us to grow around and through it, integrating the stake into our natural form. This early placement prevents you from accidentally spearing our delicate root systems later, which can cause significant damage and stress. It also allows the supporting ties to be looser, accommodating our natural stem thickening without constricting us. Installing stakes after we have already begun to falter is a corrective measure, like setting a broken bone; it is far more traumatic and less effective than preventative care.
We have preferences regarding the materials you choose. The ideal stake is strong enough to withstand our full weight and the elements without bending, yet rough enough to provide a slight texture for our stems to grip naturally. Bamboo canes or rustic wooden stakes are excellent choices. Smooth metal or plastic stakes can be too slick, offering less natural friction. For a group of us planted together, a grid trellis or a series of horizontal wires strung between stakes is immensely beneficial. This system creates a supportive network that catches our stems at multiple points, distributing the load and preventing the entire cluster from collapsing in a domino effect. It mimics the supportive understory we might find in a more sheltered wild habitat.
How you attach us to the support is critical. We need room to swell and grow. Never use wire, string, or any material that can cut into our tender tissues or strangle us as we expand. Soft, flexible ties are best—commercial plant ties, strips of old nylon stockings, or soft cloth are perfect. The tie should be fastened firmly to the stake, but loosely around our stem, always forming a figure-eight pattern with the stake in the middle. This loop provides a cushion and prevents chafing. Check these ties periodically throughout the season and adjust them as we continue our upward growth. This ongoing care ensures your support system adapts with us, providing constant, gentle reinforcement.
