Larkspur Dried | Purple or Mixed | Norfolk Cottage

Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is the annual cousin of the Delphinium, prized for its tall rigid spikes densely packed with double flowers along the stem. We harvest ours at the peak of summer to lock in the vivid petal colours before they fade. Available in two variants: pure Purple (single-colour violet-blue) or Mixed (violet-blue, rose-pink, purple, and creamy white in a single bunch). Both variants share the same tall poker-straight silhouette and the same "thriller" role in dried arrangements — the height and drama that no rounded flower can provide.

Barn-dried at Salle Moor Hall, Norfolk. Generous bunches of 12 stems, each 55-70cm long, standing tall and rigid with the flowers preserved densely along each spike. Hand-harvested at peak bloom, hung to dry naturally in the barn to preserve both the shape and the colour. Grown chemical-free on our own cutting field. No air miles, no imported stems, no dyes or preservatives — just honest English cottage garden Larkspur, cultivated and cared for entirely by us. Currently in stock — while our summer stock lasts.

Choose your colour

• Purple — single-colour spikes in vivid violet-blue and deep purple. The formal, dramatic, statement option. Considered and confident in single-species arrangements. Particularly good for modern minimalist displays, formal wedding work, and any styling where a coherent colour palette matters more than variety
• Mixed — naturally-mixed bunches with violet-blue, rose-pink, purple, and creamy white spikes together. The playful, cottage-garden option and wonderful in mixed bouquets. Perfect for country wedding work, cottage arrangements, and any styling where variety and colour movement are welcome

Both variants share the same 12-stem generosity, the same 55-70cm scale, and the same rigid poker-straight architecture. The choice is entirely about the aesthetic character you want — formal purple statement or joyful mixed cottage abundance.

The confetti secret — nature's most beautiful wedding confetti

Larkspur is properly the number-one choice for natural biodegradable wedding confetti. If you gently rub the petals off the dried spikes, each stem releases dozens of lightweight petals in your chosen colour palette. These float in the air beautifully when thrown, catch the light for photographs, and biodegrade completely afterwards — no plastic microparticles, no council fines for littering, no landfill impact. 

What makes Larkspur work

• Poker-straight vertical architecture — unlike most dried flowers which curve or arch, Larkspur stems stand rigidly upright. This gives arrangements the "vertical drama" that rounded flowers can't provide. Draws the eye upwards
• Double flower spikes with proper density — each spike carries dozens of small double flowers packed densely along the stem length. Not a sparse single flower on a tall stem, but a proper mass of colour
• Cottage garden colour palette — the natural violet-blue, rose-pink, and cream tones are quintessential English cottage garden colours. Works with any traditional cottage aesthetic without effort
• Ranunculaceae family character — Larkspur is in the same botanical family as our Nigella Flowers and Nigella Seed Heads. Similar delicate character, completely different form. The family shows the range of cottage garden variety within one botanical group

Styling ideas

• The mantelpiece vase — place a bunch in a tall narrow-necked vase or bottle. The vertical lines look elegant and take up minimal surface space while providing considerable visual height. Particularly good on mantelpieces, hallway consoles, and window ledges where floor-space is limited
• Mixed bouquets — the "thriller" element — use Larkspur in the centre of a mixed dried bouquet to provide the height, then surround with rounder flowers (Achillea, Cornflower) and delicate fillers (Feverfew, Ammobium). Larkspur solves the "my bouquet looks flat" problem instantly
• Wedding table runners — because the stems are so long and rigid, they lay flat beautifully across dining tables. Combine with dried grasses and scattered petals for a properly considered wedding tablescape
• Natural wedding confetti — strip the petals from spikes for biodegradable confetti (see confetti section above). Environmentally responsible and photographically beautiful
• Milk churn and jug displays — the tall stems suit rustic vessels like galvanised milk churns, enamel jugs, and stoneware pitchers. Country cottage aesthetic without excess
• Modern minimalist single-species — five or seven stems of pure Purple in a plain glass cylinder or matte tall vessel creates a distinctly modern arrangement. Works surprisingly well in gallery-white interiors where softer dried flowers would feel wrong
• Wall-mounted dried arrangements — the rigid stems attach well to backing boards for framed dried floral wall art. The vertical character reads as considered composition rather than casual bouquet

Perfect dried companions

• Dried Wheat — the farmhouse look. The golden-yellow wheat stalks contrast beautifully with the cool blues and pinks of Larkspur. Classic English country combination that reads as considered rather than fussy
• Dried Lavender — the "Purple Haze" combination. Purple Larkspur and purple Lavender together creates an entirely coherent purple palette that also smells (well, one of them does) as beautiful as it looks. Particularly good with the Purple variant
• Dried Nigella Flowers — the Ranunculaceae cousin. Same botanical family, delicate blue Nigella against the taller Larkspur spikes shows the family's range from delicate to structural
• Dried Statice Suworowii — the pink echo partnership. Rose-pink Suworowii spikes alongside Mixed Larkspur creates a coherent pink layer through the arrangement
• Dried Achillea 'Ballerina' or Feverfew — the cream partnership. Soft white puffballs alongside rigid Larkspur spikes provides essential textural contrast in mixed bouquets
• Dried Ammobium — the small-scale filler that softens the strict vertical lines of Larkspur without competing for visual space

Handle with care. Larkspur petals are naturally delicate — if you handle the bunch roughly during arrangement, individual petals may knock off. Handle from the base of the stems, not the spikes. Petal shedding during unpacking is normal and cosmetically insignificant — the mass effect of dozens of flowers per spike means individual losses don't affect the overall silhouette. If you're stripping petals deliberately for confetti, that's exactly what the plant is designed to do — work over a shallow bowl or clean surface to catch them.

Care note. Keep out of direct sunlight to preserve the vivid violet-blue, rose-pink, and purple colours (all these pigments are UV-sensitive and will pale toward straw over prolonged sunlight exposure). Store dry. Handle from stem bases. Given proper care, expect years of use indoors — the rigid stems retain their poker-straight character indefinitely.

Growing your own. Consolida ajacis is one of the easier hardy annuals to grow from seed — direct-sown in autumn for large early-summer flowering plants, or in April for later flowering. Loves full sun and well-drained soil. Self-seeds gently once established. Bees and butterflies work the flowers throughout the flowering season. Excellent for both fresh cutting and drying — the flowers dry beautifully on the plant if left for a few days at the peak of flowering. We sell Larkspur seeds — growing your own gives you the summer garden performance (properly one of the most rewarding cottage garden annuals) and the autumn drying harvest, and if you grow a mixed variety, you get the choice of confetti-making from your own garden.