Delphinium staphisagria

  • 3 Replies
  • 10750 Views
*

John

  • Hero Member
Delphinium staphisagria
« on: July 07, 2011, 08:53:49 AM »
Two years ago I was given a few seedlings of this Delphinium. In London it is fairly happy to continue from self sown seedlings but this winter I kept one back in a pot and it flowered beautifully last month. It is widespread in Greece especially through the islands and I have seen it in many places on Crete. Colour varies from muddy greens and almost grey through good blues and purples. No doubt there will be a pink variant somewhere and presumably a white.
It is a plant of sheltered habitats including valley bottoms, gullies and near human habitation. There is a good population of it round the generally abandoned village of Aradhena perched by the gorge of the same name in SW Crete.
As a side. One of our cats had a spell of being stressed which we treated with a homeopathic remedy. This was "staphisagria" an extract of this delphinium and it worked.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

*

Fleur Pavlidis

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
Re: Delphinium staphisagria
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2011, 09:53:49 AM »
The Delphinium staphisagria growing wild in the MGS garden looks rather different from your photo. The size of the plant and the colour of the flowers seems to be dependent on where the seed has dropped: stunted and pale blue in the dry under trees, gigantic and vivid blue in irrigated beds in the sun and everything in between. This photo is from the packet I made for a gift of seeds to the participants at the 2004 MGS AGM.
MGS member, Greece. I garden in Attica, Greece and Mt Goulinas (450m) Central Greece

Jamus

  • Jr. Member
Re: Delphinium staphisagria
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2013, 01:01:31 PM »
John, is it possible your delphinium was D.requienii ? I grow that species and it looks a good match from that picture.
Long hot summers, mild wet winters. Rainfall approx. 600mm pa.
Summer maximums over 40 degrees, winter minimums occasionally below freezing.
Gardening on neutral clay loam and sandy loam.

*

John J

  • Hero Member
Re: Delphinium staphisagria
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2015, 04:58:11 AM »
I realise that this topic has not been posted on for some time. We obtained seed of this plant from Sparoza a few years ago and they now pop up all over the place. They can reach over 1.5 m tall. These are the first to flower this year.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)