Best types of delphiniums – 14 stunning varieties for vibrant flower spikes in your yard

There are plenty of beautiful types of delphiniums to add to your planting list if you're a lover of cottage-garden schemes. And in fact, with their architectural structure and bold color, they can work wonderfully in modern plots, too.

When you grow delphiniums, you end up with tall flower towers dazzling at the back of summer borders. Mature plants can reach 6ft high, producing over 100 blooms on each of their many spikes, which point to the sky like the spires of tiny cathedrals.

The only downside to delphiniums is their need for a lot of TLC – they must be shielded from wind, mildew, and their nemesis: slugs. And they need fertile, retentive, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil to thrive. But learning how to care for delphiniums is well worth the effort.

14 types of delphiniums for show-stopping summer shows

There are lots of varieties of delphiniums to choose from to liven up your flower bed ideas. I've compiled our top picks to help you choose the best ones for your plot.

1. 'Bruce'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 6ft

'Bruce' has superb, slender towers of rich violet-purple flowers with brown eyes. It first flowers in early summer, but will bloom again later in the season.

With its impressive height, it's ideal at the back of a border as part of a blue flower garden scheme.

'King Arthur' (seeds from Amazon) is an alternative, similar in hue and height.

2. 'Blue Nile'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

This beauty has sublime, semi-double, azure-blue flowers with white eyes.

Grow it with darker and paler blues to show it off. It will also look dramatic when accompanied by white flowers.

These delphinium seeds from Amazon likewise have white eyes.

3. 'Purple Velvet'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

If you're looking for bold, regal color for your flower beds, then 'Purple Velvet' is one of the best types of delphiniums for you.

With its deep-purple petals and black eyes, it's perfect for creating vertical blocks of color at the back of the border. Whether you include it in a romantic, cottage garden scheme or in a modern backyard it's bound to turn heads.

For other options with striking black eyes, plant these 'Black Knight' seeds from Amazon.

4. 'Fanfare'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 6ft

A graceful, pale-mauve delphinium, 'Fanfare' is wonderful for adding a touch of romance to your plot. Look closer, and you'll spot the light blue on its under-petals and white eyes.

It looks especially lovely next to lemon-yellow flowers – think of the 'Xanthos' or 'Lemonade' types of cosmos, for instance. Plus, it's good for a cutting garden flower and bringing indoors for stunning floral displays.

'Blueberry Pie' (seeds from Burpee) is another variety that shows off dual purple-blue tones.

5. 'Sungleam'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 6ft

With its spires of large, lemon-cream blooms, 'Sungleam' is a lovely choice to light up the back of the border in early summer and again in early-fall.

Try planting alongside achillea, geraniums, or other cottage garden plants for a whimsical scene.

For a brighter yellow hue, opt for these delphinium seeds from Amazon instead.

6. 'Langdon's Pandora'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

'Langdon's Pandora' has glowing-blue rockets of flowers with black eyes that soar for the skies. It'll grab anyone's attention, including any visiting bees.

Pair it with other pollinator plants to attract bees to your yard for a beautiful display that's a haven for wildlife.

'Summer Skies' seeds (available at Amazon) will give you similar strong blue color.

7. 'Orpheus'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

The flowers of 'Orpheus' have mauve-purple petals over marine-blue petals and white eyes.

A very pretty choice, it'll add instant drama to your plot and looks lovely in a vase, too.

These are some of the best purple plants to choose for a border. Plant this delphinium seed mix from Amazon to complement purple blooms with pink and white.

8. 'Conspicuous'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

The soft-lilac blooms of 'Conspicuous' with their chocolate eyes look enchanting during the day and in the pale glow of twilight.

These plants are particularly magical when grown en masse as part of your cottage garden.

Try this Burpee Fantasia Delphinium Mix from Walmart for a combination of pastel hues.

9. 'Loch Leven'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

The blooms of 'Loch Leven' have a painterly effect with their sky-blue, slightly-pink-tinged petals and white eyes. This dreamy choice creates a classic cottage-garden look in early summer borders.

10. 'Rosemary Brock'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

Switch out the classic blue tones for a pretty-in-pink delphinium.

With its dusky-pink flowers and brown eyes, 'Rosemary Brock' is a charming variety and looks wonderful alongside bright white blooms against a sunny garden wall or fence.

It would also make the perfect addition to a pink summer border, adding height.

Try planting this pink mix of delphinium seeds from Amazon for multiple shades.

11. 'Blue Jade'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 4ft

Growing to 4ft, 'Blue Jade' is a dwarf delphinium that's ideal for small backyards and container gardens.

With powder-blue petals and chocolate eyes, it makes a beautiful accompaniment to many rose varieties in the summer border.

These 'Magic Fountain' seeds at Amazon likewise offer soft blue hues with dark eyes.

12. 'Pericles'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

'Pericles' has gentle-blue flowers with dazzling white eyes. Often the flowers have soft hints of pink, too.

Try planting this type of delphinium in front of the best hedging plants – the leafy green tones will highlight its sky-blue pillars.

For an option that doesn't have the pink hints, plant these 'Blue Bell' seeds from Amazon - blue delphiniums with white eyes.

13. 'Gillian Dallas'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 3 to zone 7
• Height: 5ft

Beautiful wands of silvery-amethyst flowers with white eyes make 'Gillian Dallas' one of the loveliest cottage-garden delphiniums.

Try growing them near your outdoor seating area for a beautiful summer backdrop. Just don't forget to stake these plants if they start to flop over - you can use these plant stakes from Amazon.

For complementary delphiniums, plant this Pacific Giant Mix from Amazon.

14. 'Guardian White'

• Hardiness: US hardiness zone 4 to zone 7
• Height: 4ft

A favorite of florists, 'Guardian White' looks splendid in the garden with its spires of brilliant white blooms.

Neat and compact, it is a good choice for smaller plots, and they're a great choice of plants for pollinators.

Alternatively, opt for these 'White King' seeds from Amazon for a white delphinium with fluffier flowers.

FAQs

Do all types of delphiniums need overwintering?

Not all types of delphiniums need overwintering. Hardy delphiniums can simply be cut back for winter. However, they will struggle to survive if they are left in compacted, waterlogged soil. For this reason, make sure your delphiniums are planted in well-draining soil.

Meanwhile, more tender varieties and those planted in containers will benefit from being moved under shelter for the coldest season. The best thing to do is research the specific needs of the types of delphiniums you are growing and put the right precautions in place to ensure they return the following year.

No matter which of these varieties you choose to grow, don't forget to cut delphiniums back once delphiniums have finished flowering. This will prepare these plants for winter and encourage returning growth next year.