Tall order

There’s a fine dividing line between failure and success. A deluge at the wrong time, sunshine instead of showers, an accident with a hoe... there’s many a slip twixt a delphinium in all its glory and a sad, pathetic plant which has not had its chance to shine.

Normally, it’s the weather which puts the boot in. For some reason, the British climate has the knack of knowing when rain will have the most damaging effect.

Which is one of the reasons many people refuse to even try to grow certain plants. They couldn’t take the disappointment of year after year watching them struggle and strain, fight off pests and diseases, and then, just when they are about to peak, the heavens open.

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Occasionally, things work out as planned, and in June and July the delphinium actually is one of the marvels of the border; a giant of a flower putting to shame most other flowers.

And this year, the weather relented slightly, and in certain places the delphinium – one of the finest of border bloomers – has managed to stage quite an impressive show.

Not only do delphiniums stand head and shoulders above most other flowers, but they possess such a startling density of colour that it can take the eye a while to come to terms with it.

When you are several feet tall with a heavy head of flowers, it makes you stand out from the crowd; it also means that it doesn’t take much in the way of wind and water to knock you down.

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But it’s quite likely that this year’s summer will encourage more people to try their hand at growing delphs – to train them well; to support, pamper, feed, water and protect from their enemies.

Delphiniums are greedy – these are plants which demand a rich soil and copious amounts of food, preferably liquid manure. And in the unlikely event of a drought, they’ll also require watering.

And to keep them standing proud, they need staking and, if possible, a sunny, sheltered site.

Once the gardener has worked this out, he or she is well on the way ; despite the weather – to growing one of the loveliest and most stunning of all border flowers.

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There are three groups of delphiniums ; the Elatum varieties which produce giant spikes of blooms; the Belladona group which have more modest aspirations and may eventually reach just 4ft; and the Pacific Giants which are the biggest and brightest but also the most short-lived.

There is no great mystery to successfully growing delphiniums – plant cuttings in spring and then buy vast numbers of slug pellets, because fresh delphinium growth attracts the pests from miles around.

Dead-heading will encourage a second, more restrained flowering in September before the first frost arrives to blacken the foliage. Then cut them down to the ground and cover them with a mulch of well-rotted manure.

Roll on next June and July.