Annual Meeting About the Club Mailing Address & Email History of ODC The Delphinium Literature

ANNUAL MEETING and FIELD DAY Saturday,5th July 2008at Plant Paradise Country Garden 16258 Humber Station Road Albion, Ontario

About the club   The Ontario Delphinium Club is a group of members who get together once a year in July for an Annual Meeting & Field Day to discuss, show and exchange information on Delphiniums. An interesting day is planned with an experienced speaker, seedling/plant sale, a flower show and an enjoyable Barbeque at the host’s garden. The annual gathering gives members an opportunity to meet others who share in the mutual interest of growing delphiniums. Membership brings with it a quarterly Newsletter that keeps you up to date with information on growing these beautiful ‘giants’ and a chance to acquire seeds from our parent society in the U.K. - The Delphinium Society. Membership is open to anyone interested in the Delphinium. Fees are used to cover the cost of printing and postage. The annual family membership is $10.00.

Mailing Address :

Ontario Delphinium Club C/o Christine Gill, 4691 Highway 7A, R.R. # 1 Nestleton, Ontario : L0B 1L0

Email > ontdelph Phone Christine > 905-986-0310 Louise > 416-493-1645

History of ODC  In July 1987, a group of thirty people and some friends met for the first field day at the home of Malcom Stephens, Campbellford, Ontario to form a Delphinium Club . The following year they met again at the home of Bert Card in Richmond Hill. The third field day meeting on 8th July 1989 was held at Helen Wilson’s Farm near Seagrave. It was decided to form the ONTARIO DELPHINIUM CLUB The object of the Ontario Delphinium Club is to promote, improve and encourage interest in the giant of the garden ... the Delphinium.

DELPHINIUM, LARKSPUR  Larkspur, is the popular name for the herbaceous plants of the genus Delphinium comprising of about 200 species belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) some of which are grown as ornamentals. ..................Encyclopedia Britannica.  Larkspur is the annual variety of the species that bloom for six weeks in the summer and make excellent cut flowers in combination with wild flowers. Delphiniums are principally perennial plants that have palmate leaves and showy flowers borne on long spikes. The flowers have a spur-shaped calyx and are available in many shades of blue, violet, pink and white. They range in height from 12 to 72 inches and always make a majestic statement in the garden.  Delphiniums perform best in rich well-drained soil in full sun. They bloom from July to September and once established in the garden, you will find it difficult to live without them!  ‘Delphinium grandiflorum’ ‘Blue Butterfly’- is the large flowering Siberian Larkspur with a bushy free flowering habit that grows to about 12 inches with intense blue flowers. They make excellent pot plants. ‘Belladonna’ - a more graceful variety that grows 24 to 28 inches and do not require staking. The Magic Fountain series withstand our Ontario winters and are available in shades of blue, violet, lavender, lilac, rose, and cream. The Beverley Hills series come in shades of salmon, yellow & scarlet but are grown as annuals in Ontario. Pacific Giants - Grow to a height of 60 inches or more and must be staked to withstand windy locales.

Website: www.ondelphiniums.com

Literature Booklet : "SIMPLY DELPHINIUMS" a well illustrated guide to growing Delphiniums is available at a nominal cost. Seeds : Open pollinated seeds saved from selected colour groups of English cultivars are available from the Club.

Website by Peter Gill

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