How to Get Delphiniums to Bloom Twice in One Season

If you want a second set of blooms after your delphiniums have flowered, use this simple trick.

For more delphinium growing tips, also see Delphiniums: Growing Tips and Tricks.

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How to Make Delphiniums Bloom Twice in One Season

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Here’s how it works. You have to be brave. When a delphinium has finished blooming, if left alone, the flower head is going to gradually turn to seed.

Your choice is, do you want seeds or second blooms?

Want Seeds?

If you want seeds, you just have to leave it and wait. The plant will put its energy into seed production.

Want Blooms?

If you want more blooms, it’s a bit of a race against time, before fall frosts set in.

• As soon as the flowers pass their peak, you have to remove the entire flower stalk. By doing this, the plant will now put its energy into sending up more flower shoots instead of working on seed production.
• To remove the flowers, follow a stalk all the way to the ground and cut it off as close to the ground as possible. Do not remove any surrounding leaves or foliage.
• It’s a bit sad to do, as even the aging blooms can be very pretty, but, suck it up, Buttercup, as the saying goes, put the cuttings on display somewhere, and, unless something weird happens, you will probably have a second set of blooms before the frosts set in. The sooner I snip off the first set of blooms, the more success I have with round two.

And that’s it.

If you have several plants, you can always choose the best ones for seed saving and the rest for second blooms.

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Other Flowering Plants that Can Bloom Again

Cutting back or deadheading first blooms to get second blooms can also work for several other perennials including:

For more, see my best delphinium growing tips here.

I started gardening because of a love of delphiniums. The affair will never end!

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛