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| Delphinium varieties |
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 New strains to emerge eventually include such names as 'Faust' (1965), which is deep ultramarine; 'Mighty Atom' (1968), a deep lilac purple with double flowers iate in the season; and 'Cherub' (1978), a smallish, dainty pinkish mauve with cream eyes. 'Loch Lever', a soft mid-blue, was bred by the amateur hybridiser Tom Cowan in 1969.
Yet this blend, procured from different species and freely pollinating hybrids, eventually came to be considered by purists as a poisoned chalice. Plants were becoming less reliably perennial. Indeed, their lack of longevity caused alarm among enthusiasts. But it must be understood that in the 1950s and 1960s, Reinelt was breeding delphiniums for his American customers - who grew them as annuals or biennials as the plants exhausted themselves in one season because of the climate. |
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 Another debilitating factor for delphiniums was the fact that hybrids do not reliably come true from seed. Only species come true to type. The only ways of replicating a hybrid or cultivar are by division of roots or cuttings. This is a time consuming process, rendering it impractical and commercially unviable.
So seeds are the thing. This led to The Delphinium Society publishing in its Year Book last year a strong warning to readers to avoid seed grown delphiniums sold in garden centres and to buy only those plants raised from cuttings and offered by specialist nurseries. The Year Book cites the results of trials by Gardening Which? of the Pacific Hybrids, which found that only three out of eight varieties were worth considering, and even those had drawbacks. |
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 But there is a group of hybrid delphiniums that is almost universally admired by even the most critical of growers. The Belladonna hybrids are more sprightly than the elatum hybrid pyramids, with single flowers along branching stems and deeply divided, almost fern-like leaves. Especially recommended is the violet blue 'Lamartine' and 'Moerheimii' that grows to four feet (1.2m) with white flowers. These charming additions to the delphinium repertoire adapt well - even to the fror of the border, for they have see-through personalities. They can also be grown successfully from seed.
So what is the future of the delphinium? The strictures of financial viability will determine the survival of any form of commercial future for our garden plants. If fine, healthy, perennial delphiniums can only be achieved from cuttings, as seems to be the case, then the future of the plant remains in the hands of a dedicated and passionate band of amateur or professional growers They will ensure that the delphinium survives. |
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