Graham Austin, from Home Farm Plants, gave a talk on delphiniums at the ACB&DB Horticultural Society in April 2016. Graham specialises in growing Elatum Delphiniums and also shows them.
If you want a perennial delphinium then Elatums are the ones you should go for. You may see “Pacific Giants” at the garden centres, which will look fabulous but are annuals. Take a read of Graham’s article on the Rare Plant Fair website to find out more.
Elatum Delphiniums do not grow true from seed so named cultivars need to be grown from cuttings. This is a time consuming process so plants are only available from a handful of specialist growers.
Or you could try to take cuttings yourself! You can do this in the spring when the plant starts shooting. There’s lots of info on the web on how to take basal cuttings – here’s a link to the BBC gardening website.
If you’d prefer to see someone doing it – there are lots of videos on YouTube too.
A couple of tips from Graham on taking cuttings….
- Use perlite rather than compost for your cuttings
- Use sterilizing fluid to clean your equipment, as delphiniums are prone to virus’
If you want to find out more about delphiniums then take a look at the Delphinium Society website. You’ll find general information on there, as well as details on suppliers and show dates.
You’ll be able to see display delphiniums at The Plant Society Show at Wisley on 18 & 19 June 2016.
Home Farm Plants are in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire and you can find out more about them and the nursery opening times on their website. And they’re open under the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) on Sunday 3 July, 2pm – 5pm, further details on the NGS website.
Photo courtesy of Home Farm Plants.