Fionnuala Fallon: Truth is, nothing comes close to them in terms of the size, stature and brilliance of their flowers as well, of course as their magical range of colours
was an illustration of delphiniums in full bloom. The otherworldly beauty of their soaring flower spires in shades of peacock, sky and electric violet was mesmerising and I coveted them instantly. Too many decades later I feel the same way, except now I know how difficult they are to grow well.
Despite the picture-perfect image of their tall blue flower spires taking pride of place in a traditional cottage garden, delphiniums are also not the most convivial of plants and resent being grown in these kinds of crowded conditions. Instead, they need space around their roots and plenty of it. That’s only the half of it. Those long, hollow, brittle flower stems can snap easily in a gusty wind, so delphinium plants must be staked in late spring before they get so tall that it becomes too difficult to do so without resulting in a frustratingly messy, ugly tangle of twine and garden canes. Even then, just one day of heavy rain can leave them looking miserably bedraggled.
The potted history of my delphinium journey probably echoes that of many. Repeated early failures to grow them were a result of poor site selection and preparation combined with a lack of vigilance as regards slug and snail damage. In short, I hopefully planted them in a spot that I thought they might like and then promptly forgot all about them until the following spring when they failed to reappear.
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