Alan Gould wrote:
In article , JimM
writes

Whilst in B&Q at the weekend I grabbed a few packs of seed but have just
noticed that the Delphiniums suggest sowing direct in the garden between May
to July for flowering in May next year. Can I get these to flower this year
if I was to sow now, indoors in a heated propogator ?


The answer is yes, but don't do it (IMHO). Delphiniums are worth waiting
for and are much better grown as a biennial, then the roots can be kept
on to regrow as a herbaceous perennial for future years. If you want
quick results grow some Larkspurs - the annual version of Delphinium and
a graceful addition to any flower garden. We start our Delphiniums
singly in pots during summer then plant them out in the autumn.

I tried growing Delphiniums in pots last year, but they
never grew beyond two leaves all summer. They just sat
there for months, and then died one by one. I don't know
why. Meanwhile the lupins raced ahead..

Rhiannon, ended up planting out three sorry-looking plants
simply because they couldn't do any worse in the ground than
in the pot! Don't know whether they've survived the winter
or not, I suspect not.