I grew these from seed obtained from you last year. They are amazing! So far the tallest measures 105 inches. As you see I am growing them in three raised beds. The plants in the bed on the right in the second photo were transplanted this spring from the other two beds so they are not as tall. The photos just don't do them justice as the drama in real life is absent. The beds are filled with a Vermont compost called MooDoo but their roots must be down in the heavy clay underneath by now. I fertilized in the spring with a Vermont manufactured organic fertilizer called Pro-Gro which is 5-3-4 and top-dressed with more compost. You can just see the first support of concrete reinforcing wire laid horizonally but we need to put another one up much higher. We have been plagued by high winds and torrential, pounding rains and I am a nervous wreck. Six spires have bent down with the weight of the water on the blossoms and I have to go out and gently shake the water off each one when it stops raining. The selections were Tallest, Genuine Mix and Misty Mauves but I'm afraid they are a bit mixed up now with the transplanting. The colours are beautiful with different back petals and bees. The pink is the most uniform. Is there a white? I would love a white. I wish I had better photos for you. Although I am English by birth and upbringing for some reason I live in Zone 4 in Vermont! The winters are brutal. Last winter's low was -17F but I didn't loose one plant. I think the cool, very wet spring has encouraged this growth don't you? What can I expect for height next year?!

I hope you enjoyed hearing from this part of the world and seeing your incredible Delphiniums. Suzanne Albinson

GARDEN PHOTOS:

• New Haven, Vermont, USA
• Bend, OR, USA
• Russia Page 1
• Russia Page 2
• Fort St John, Canada
• Foxboro, Ontario, Canada
• Cotopaxi, Colorado, USA
• Helsinki, Finland
• Seattle, Washington, USA
• Alberta, Canada
• Stanwood, Washington, USA
• Versailles, PA, USA
• Lebanon, Oregon, USA
• Dawson Creek, BC, Canada
• San Francisco, CA, USA

ANECDOTES:

• Coffee Grounds and a Ghost
• Battle with a Pine Tree
• A Delphinium like a Tree

SUCCESSES:

• From South London
• From Alberta: A Most Amazing Photograph of one of our seedlings!
  
• Neighbourhood fame in Seattle
  
• Growing delphs in Pennsylvania, Zone 6, USA
  
• The Canadian National Exhibition

TERRY'S COLUMNS:

• Seed Production
• Canadian Exhibition
• Taste New Zealand
• Mushroom Compost
• Life in Wanganui
• Visitors
• Terry's Bio
• Spring
• Summer
• Bumble Bees

TERRY SAYS:

• February 2007 - new and improved?
• March 2008 - delphiniums and hot summers
• March 2009 - our plants available in USA and Canada
• August 2009 - Winter's nearly over...
• February 2010 -Time to Order Seeds
• August 2010 -Time to Sow Seeds

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