DELPHINIUMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 11

DELPHINIUMS.

PLANT NOW IN ENRICHED SOIL.

(By James Wright, Nurseryman, Moonee Ponds, Vic.)

Delphiniums have long ranked among the chief favourites of all lovers of hardy flowers, for blue is the rarest colour in the floral world; and in the present day wonderful and immense giants we may find shades ranging from powder blue to deepest indigo- The intermingling of w’ondrous shades of lavender, mauve, rosy pink and purple will either harmonise with or effect a striking contrast to almost any colour in the garden. The stateliness of delphiniums fits them for a commanding position, and planted in groups in the herbaceous border or in isolated beds in open ground they produce a wonderful and striking effect. To grow these garden favourites to perfection necessitates a little forethought in regard to soil requirements, and it is only natural that a plant of such strong growth must have in the first place a soil of good depth and substance, two feet at least being necessary to provide an adequate root run for the plants.. The ground should be well limed, and then in the course of a week or ten days thoroughly incorporate a good dressing of well-decayed stable or old hot bed manure; if the soil is on the light side, cow manure would be preferable.

The best time for planting delphiniums is in August and September, just as the plants are beginning to make new growth, and seedling crowns will be found to give satisfaction. When planting delphiniums other than in an isolated bed, keep in mind that through their height and stateliness they can be made the outstanding floral feature in their immediate vicinity, provided that any near plants be of a dwarfer habit of growth and of colours affording contrasts to the varied shades of blue, mauve and purple. The idea is to keep them away from the back fence with all sorts of annuals in front smothering them and keeping out a free circulation of air, causing weakly growth and sickly foliage; far better to plant them well to the front, with Iceland poppies and, later, Phlox Drummondii as their near neighbours. Another point to remember is to give them plenty of room; even two feet apart is not too much to allow. Staking is a necessity, as one of our sudden wind changes may cause great damage in a few minutes. Use a slender -but strong stake to spike; bamboo for preference, as they taper at the end, and are not so conspicuous as hardwood, besides allowing a gentle swaying motion which is better for the spikes than being held too rigidly. As mentioned earlier, an enrichment of the soil is one necessity, but to obtain the best results feeding must be resorted to during full growth, but not before the plants are thoroughly well rooted and established. A good' mulching of wellrotted manure is beneficial as it helps to keep the soil cool and moist, besides feeding surface roots, but an occasional application of blood and bone-meal fertiliser sprinkled around each plant one foot away from the stem will materially help to keep them in full vigour of growth and incidentally produce larger and better spikes of bloom. When the flowers have lost their beauty, cut away the faded spike just low enough for the end to be hidden by the foliage, as allowing them to run to seed not only greatly weakens the vitality of the plant, but spoils them

for producing a second crop of spikes during the early autumn months. After the flowering season has eUded, do not remove any foliage; just let it gradually wither and die down, thus allowing the nourishment in the foliage to return to the crowns to be stored up for next season’s growth. This article would be incomplete if we were to leave the beautiful Belladonna hybrid and Butterfly unmentioned. Belladonna hybrids usually grow two feet to two and a-half feet high, and fill the space between them the tall hybrid and the Butterfly delphinium. They are mostly azure blue shades with light graceful flower spikes. Butterfly delphiniums are useful for the front of borders and edging of beds; the average height is 18 inches to 20 inches. Blue Butterfly is more attractive than Azure Fairy, the colour of the former being much brighter.