Among this year’s new varieties is larkspur, a member of the delphinium family. Over 1,000 tiny larkspur will be planted in the field this Thursday.

Larkspur is native to the Western United States and grows wild along stream beds. Larkspurs thrive in cold weather and will often begin blooming as soon as the snow melts. At Pistil Farm, the larkspur were germinated outdoors in March.

Despite their beauty, all parts of the larkspur are poisonous. Tinctures of the plant are reportedly good for head lice and asthma, lessening the sting of scorpions and keeping witches out of horse stables!

The larkspur will be ready in August. Some will be dried for fall bouquets and others will be delivered fresh to you.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 9:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.