Find Your Ask the Expert: I was hoping you could help identify this flower
These photos were taken from a garden in the Chena Village, along the Chena River outside of Fairbanks in July of this year. I was hoping you could identify them, and let me know if they were native. Thank you!
– Margaret
Plant Expert Reply:
The flower you have so lovely captured in the photos above is Delphinium. Florists in Alaska, as well as in other places, use this flower in arrangements because it is one of the few true blue flowers available to them.
Delphinium is a genus of 250 annuals, perennials and biennials. In 1998 while vacationing in Alaska, I saw some of the tallest delphinium I had ever seen. It was in the garden of a lady who was a sled dog racer. I believe Delphinium is native to Alaska. If it isn’t it should be, we saw it everywhere during our two week stay.
Some may call this plant larkspur. The terms are often confused and used interchangeably. However, Larkspur and Delphinium are not really the same plant but closely related. In your pictures the blossom shape looks more like Delphinium.
Dear Jamie,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! Your post was terrific. My husband Andy took great photos of these flowers; I wish we had taken more. They were approximately 5 feet in height; I’ll confirm the size with him.
Have a great day & thanks again,
Margaret