ADD IMPACT WITH DELPHINIUMS
They’re tall, striking and easy to grow
One hundred years ago, Louise Beebe Wilder, America’s equivalent of Gertrude Jekyll, wrote: “I have never seen Delphinius poorly placed, they seem to grace every situation as to make inharmony impossible.” It’s still true today, and the reason is that however vivid their blues, however sultry their purples, delphiniums never clash with anything. They fit into every garden.
It’s not just about colour, though. Described more recently as “the true monarch of the herbaceous border”, the traditional delphinium’s bold, upright spikes add impact, provide focal points and act as a pleasing contrast to the bushier plants that surround them.
These are herbaceous perennials, sometimes reaching 61⁄2ft (2m) in a single season, then dying back for the winter. The flower spikes can, in some cases, fill half that height; and in most varieties each floret is rather flat, semi-double, and packed edge-to-edge up the stem in a slender cone. The finest delphiniums are raised from cuttings, although seedraised types are improving. There are also dwarf types that are ideal for smaller gardens and large containers.
Delphiniums usually start to flower about now, and should be available to buy as garden-ready plants – you will need to try specialists for the widest choice of varieties. As the final flowers on those first spikes fade, cut them off at the base. It may seem ruthless but you will be rewarded with a flurry of slimmer, more slender spikes later.
Delphiniums are easy to grow, just so long as you keep a couple of important things in mind – slugs and staking. Unfortunately, slugs (and snails) find delphiniums an especially tasty treat, and they can start doing damage even before it seems there’s anything for them to eat. They slither down the holes left by last year’s stems and munch through the crowns of plants. Organic slug pellets do a great job, so drop a few down the holes every now and then.
The other vital factor is support. Those towering stems are vulnerable not only to wind and rain, but also to their own weight. Methods vary: I’ve seen each stem in a clump tied to its own individual bamboo cane; I’ve seen a ring of canes around the clump with twine crossing through the clump between them; I’ve seen all the stems in a clump tied to a single stout dahlia cane.
Do whatever works for you – just make sure that you get supports in place before they’re needed. Once a flower spike has blown over, it will never be the same.