Delphiniums ex New Zealand

A short while ago I posted a picture of a greenish delphinium, that I have raised from seed, which came from from New Zealand, from these great delphinium breeders Dowdeswell's Delphiniums.

And straight away I received a thank-you message from Terry, the owner of the nursey, thanking me for enjoying their plants sufficiently to write about them. This is very very kind of him. But , hey, what's not to like about THESE delphiniums? just check out some of the lovelies...

Anyway, my story with these New Zealand's delphiniums goes like this. A couple of years ago I've bought from them a couple of packets of seeds, and they were generous enough to include a bonus packet of mixed delphinium seeds.

The seeds were quick to geminate and I ended with 100+ seedlings (I never expected them to germinate almost 100 percent). So I've planted most of them out, and here is what I've got. Not too bad, I'd say :) for a summer's work. They all are pretty tall, but very robust; the flowers are densely packed. Last summer when these delphiniums where in the peak of the flowering, I made a giant bouquet of them together with some lime-green flowers of Lady's mantle - and it truly was spectacular (even if I say so myself). Shame, I didn't take the picture. But I hope I will be able to reproduce it this coming summer.

And this one is the primadonna of the lot - you'd probably agree on that one.. It is absolutaly exceptional. It is also more compact than its brethren, and more prone to mildew. But who cares about such minor problems, when facing a gem like this... I am lucky enough to have a couple of these plants, and I certainly will be propagating them...

So once again, thank you all, at Dowdeswell's Delphiniums, and keep up your good work :)

A little hint - about this time of year they collect fresh delphinium seeds down under, I think, so this is the perfect time to get some freshly harvested delphinium seeds and raise some of these statuesque beauties ;-)