I was quite proud of my delphiniums. And you would think they would attract good
comment, especially after the tulips. 'Aren't
they gorgeous!' Even, 'Aren't they blue!' But no, all anyone
says is, 'Aren't they tall!'
At first I was quite proud that they were tall, though I'd
prefer to say well grown. They are
growing in a tub, quite a shallow tub, and I started wondering whether they had
enough soil. But they seemed happy,
spreading about and growing taller, until the storm came.
The ones on the right bent sideways, so I tied them to
stakes and supports and they carried on blooming, blowsy ladies on sticks and zimmer
frames. Some of them fell off in the second
storm, but that was OK because I stuck them in a vase in the window for the
Queen. (They complemented the England
flag I'd hung in the other window after being told off by the village for
having no bunting.)
Now they are all leaning right, like a row of mature ladies
after the extra sherry. In the autumn I'm
going to have to take them out and plant them in the borders. Until then they'll be straggling and turning
yellow, right in front of the window. A
focal point.
Most of the bunting is straggling too, pulled down and
washed away, but the England flag's still out.
