Effervescent and majestic, delphiniums are sure to draw attention in summer beds and borders. These vivid flowers have been grown in our gardens for centuries – their common name ‘larkspur’ dating back to Tudor times. ‘The cultivars we now use have been selected and bred from the wild forms for their uniformity, size of flower and colour,’ says Lou Nicholls, head gardener of Godinton House and Gardens, famous for its display of delphiniums.
Flowering early before many of the other main summer blooms, delphiniums will also come back and flower again in autumn if they are cut back hard after their first early summer flowers. ‘They are special because few other plants give you such colourful height, and the bee-friendly intricate flowers in solid columns in blues, whites, pinks, mauve, and similar hues,’ says Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the RHS.
‘There is
