Delphinium "Faust"

I am always being asked to recommend a Delphinium, usually for a typically traditional English Cottage Garden.

I love this type of garden, and certainly while Plantsmans Corner and Eggleston Hall Gardens are both primarily nurseries there is a strong nod in the direction of the cottage garden almost everywhere you turn. Perhaps my only deviancy (horticulturally) is in choice of varieties, while many of the "old" varieties are still available I strongly believe the modern selections have far more to offer both in beauty and uniformity, I would also argue that many show immensely greater resistance to disease. The late Geoff Hamilton once remarked that the old cottagers would have bitten your hand off for the choice we have today. The purist may not agree, but I have always maintained that gardening is an ever evolving subject and as in nature, those things that are improvement will be carried forward to generations to come, who in turn will mix, match, and adapt.

I have selected five of my favourite forms.

Faust is a delightful heavy blue, strong growing and uniform over a long period. It bulks up well for propagation and mine reach about seven feet. The flowerheads are huge with a bottom diameter of about a foot and and flower height 2-3 feet in length. A plant with big bollocks.