Below average rainfall during May, June and July, left the soil in our garden very dry just when delphiniums and other herbaceous plants need plentiful supplies of water to flower at their best. However, regular attention with the watering can meant that Shirley's delphiniums growing in large pots produced some lovely flowers, like those of 'Holly Cookland Wilkins' seen in the left hand picture above. Many had superb florets and won prizes in the Delphinium Society Show in late June.

It was a rather frustrating season for our wild delphinium species. Several American species began well but the seedlings failed to grow to flowering and withered away. The most exciting plants were from seed sown three years ago of D. biternatum, a yellow-flowered species similar to D. semi barbatum, which grew huge leaves. One plant produced a vey strong flower stem that grew to 2m tall with 77 flowers in a spike 1m long, a few of the flowers being seen in the centre picture above. There were also many more flowers along the nine strong shoots from leaf joints below the main bloom.

Seeds of the biennial species D. staphisagria from Greece and Turkey were sown in February but showed no signs of germinating quickly. Then, after being allowed to dry out in hot weather, germination occurred in mid July when the pots were watered. The enormous size of the cotyledons, seen in the right hand picture, is always amazing. The seedllings have been pricked out into large pots and it will be fun to watch them grow and hopefully reach flowering before the winter.

The seedlings from of a selection of different delphinium hybrids sown in February are beginning to flower in early August. The plants are mostly very small due to the dry conditions but should provide some colourful flowers through the late summer months. It proved impossible to prepare ground for all the seedlings so some are being grown in pots although others had to be abandoned.

OUR BOOK

"Delphiniums" by David and Shirley Bassett

ISBN (13digit) 9780713490022

was published in the UK in November 2006 by Batsford, an imprint of Anova Books Company Ltd.

It can be ordered direct from the publisher at their website: www.anovabooks.com

In North America the book is published by Timber Press and can be ordered from their website: www.timberpress.com

Alternatively, try other booksellers, eg Amazon