Delphiums/Hollyhocks How Far Apart?

Well, my Delphiniums in the ground are planted about 10 inches apart and the leaves are touching now. I hope that the Hollyhocks are dwarf ones - they grow up to 8' tall in my garden! Why do you want to plant them in pots, Jacque? I would have though that they'd be top-heavy!

Well i lost the 1s from last year,4 some resons they stsrted 2 grow &were doing well but the frost seems to have killed them so im un sure about planting these1s out ?

I've just sown some Delphinium seeds - they are for the big ones and the packet says to plant them out eventually 2 feet apart! When we sowed them before we kept them in pots in the first year and stopped them from flowering, even though they wanted to. Then we planted them out in the autumn and they flowered gloriously the next year. However, the key was to protect them from slugs - frost could blacken new growth but they can usually recover from that, I think, but it's the slugs that kill them. We got copper tape and wrapped it round the cut-off rims of old plastic pots that we sunk in the ground around the sprouting plants. We also did the night time slug patrol - picking the wee so and sos off and dumping them in salt water - that felt really cruel but it did seem to work - I think majeekahead's found a way of controlling slugs that's a bit less stomach-churning.

They were a bit of a hassle to grow, but were so worth it, which is why I've decided to start the journey anew this year. So really Jacque, they will do so much better if you can plant them out.

Thanx for that Buzbee I did put loads of sharp sand around them&i seemed to work really well then they just broke off at the bottoms& never came back? Why would they break off @ground Level?

With ones that didn't work, we found holes in the stems pretty close to ground level - again I can only assume that was down to slugs, that then weakened them. I don't know if over-watering or having a mulch too close to the new stems might also have that kind of effect? Others will know more than me, I'm sure.

The other thing to do is to stake them - they are really prone to wind damage, so you really do have to stake them or give them plant supports of some kind, and the sooner you put stakes in the better - so you don't damage the roots. And maybe plant them where they get shelter from plants around them too.
: - ) & ? - no expert me.

it was quite a dry wind proof spot my delps were planted&they only made it 2 5/6inchs high b4 the broke off :(My new 1s r a good size compard to my oold baby 1 :) so fingers crossed 4 them &hollyhocks:)