Plant record

Larkspur

Consolida ajacis

Larkspur belongs to the brave cold edge of the season. Sow it before the easy weather arrives.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusConsolidaRanunculaceae
Species anchorConsolida ajacisThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score88/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Direct sow very early into cool soil; fall sowing is also useful.

Space-saving method: grow with stake support.

Plant intelligence

Use one square on a cool-season edge; it is vertical but not a warm-season filler.

cut flowerpollinatorvertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: cool-season vertical spike flower

Height: 24-48 inches

Spread: 8-12 inches

Germination: 14-21 days

Sow depth: 0.25 inches

Bloom: spring, early summer

Attracts: bees

Record score

88/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Consolida ajacis in Ranunculaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness921 per square with stake support.
Timing and care depth791 planting window, 40F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90moderate pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificConsolida ajacisFamilyRanunculaceaeLookup namesLarkspur, Consolida ajacis, annual delphinium, rocket larkspur

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
92Use one square on a cool-season edge; it is vertical but not a warm-season filler. Support: stake.
Season behaviorhardy
79Direct sow. One main planting.
Care loadmoderate water
74Needs cold to germinate well. All parts are toxic if eaten. Soil minimum 40F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
90moderate pollinator value; blue, purple, pink, white.
Variety depth2 options
88Sublime mixes are easy, but single-color blue strains make the cleanest design statement.

Species and variety notes

Sublime mixes are easy, but single-color blue strains make the cleanest design statement.

Earl Greycultivar
78small-bed fit

A refined color for a flower square that should not shout.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

lavender gray, cut flower, cool-season100-120 days36-48 inches tall
Giant Imperialseries
68small-bed fit

The standard larkspur series when height and stems are the goal.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

tall, cut flower, classic90-110 days36-48 inches tall

Companions

peas, lettuce, bachelor-button, calendula

Cautions

Needs cold to germinate well.

All parts are toxic if eaten.

External enrichment

Cached name: Consolida ajacis. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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