Delphinum, speronella: the flower of serenity

The story I will tell you, has a protagonist, a beautiful flower, the Speronella. Delphinum is a herbaceous plant originating in Europe, Asia and North America. Its very large family consists of 200 members or species and is part of the ancient Ranunculaceae family. She  has two nicknames, Knight’s Delphinium or Spron, but the most commonly used name is Speronella. His family is distinguished for years of life, annual, biennial or perennial and for its size, ranging from the smallest, about 50 cm high, to the giant that exceeds two meters.

They are also known for their elegance and erect abstention, from which large branches with large, palm-bright green leaves stretch out, which in turn give way to thin eyebrows ornamented with beautiful flowers. The flowers can be simple or double, and can vary in color, white, pink, blue, celestial, purple and lilac, and taking care we can admire the brilliance for so long, from spring to late summer. Speronella, besides being famous for its grace, has a very important role in floriculture and in gardens, in fact it is often sought to decorate well-groomed meadows or to frame other plant-friendly plants.

Tips for growing

Speronella has a very specific purpose to enlarge its species even more, but in order to do so, it needs to know the characteristics of each, that is, the perennial, annual and finally the smallest plant.
The annual species loves not only the Mediterranean soil, stony and dry, but above all the climate, warm and sunny. The annual Speronella does not like to be moved here and there, but prefer to be rooted in the land. Its seeds are not afraid of the cold, and for this reason the right time to sow them is the autumn, which with the help of self-insemination, will give small seedlings spring in the spring. They endure the cold but not the frost, and before securing a fixed place it is best to seed them in pots to move them to sheltered places.

The annual delphinium does not drink so much, drinking rainwater, but in cases of prolonged drought, it is advisable to have some watering. The perennial species do not agree with the shadow but not with the sunshine, so the ideal for good growth is a slightly shaded area. Like the annual sister, the Speronella perennial demands to be entrusted to fertile, well drained, but also fresh and humid soil. He is not afraid of frost, but also for her, in the absence of rains, it will take a bit of water, waiting between the watering and the other to dry the soil. In spring, adult plants will be planted, while in the autumn, from the division of roots and rooted cuttings, the new Speronelle will be born, ready to be invaded or transplanted in the flower beds, as a background to the other colors and to give the garden a wild and natural appearance.

Diseases and care

Like all living beings, Speronella becomes ill. To avoid it, it is advisable to remove water stagnations that cause roots, causing death. Its worst enemies are, the aphids that eat the buds and the snails feeding on their leaves. The best care to take care of the Speronella is therefore to eliminate excess water from the sink, not plant them too close to prevent the air from circulating a little, use a fungicide before the buds open and love so much.

Meaning, legend, infusions

The blue speronella: in the language of flowers it represents serenity, a wish of peace and a good wish.
Legend: a man in trouble, was saved by a dolphin, but his friends continued to hunt him, when Neptune, in order to avoid capturing him, transformed the dolphin into a beautiful flower: the Delphinium.
Infusions: With the Speronella flower, infusions can be prepared, which have diuretic properties, dilatation vessels and anti-inflammatory vessels.