The birthday flower of July is the lovely Larkspur, which symbolizes carefree summer days, feeling lighthearted, and just having fun. Larkspur is a highly desirable cut flower with tall spikes of colorful petals that look as perfect in a cut glass vase on the dining room table as they do sitting in a rustic basket or bucket at a casual backyard party.

Many people confuse Larkspur plants with delphinium plants. Although they look similar and are both members of the buttercup family, larkspur is annuals with more delicate flowers in shades of white, pink and lavender. Delphinium is perennials with more substantial flowers in shades of purple, blue, red, yellow and white.

Larkspur blooms from early spring through late summer with flowers that can range in size from a few inches to several feet long in the meadowland species. In Shakespeare’s time, Larkspur was also called lark’s heel, lark’s claw, and knight’s…