Our tip of the week this week comes from our friend Bas Lozer of Hilverda de Boer. We asked Bas to tell us a little more about the Delphinium, our pick for June as the flower of the month.

Here’s what he has to say:

“Delphinium come in many beautiful shades and we love them all. Creamy whites, dainty pinks, and bold purples and blues are the traditional shades. Hybrids have been created, gifting us with shocking reds, and warms shades of oranges and yellows.

The growers must be precise when choosing to cut the stems so they are at the optimal stage in the budding process. Delphinium needs water as soon as possible, after being cut from the flower field. Because of this short timeframe, they are shiped on a direct route on KLM Airlines, arriving from field to florist in less than 24 hours to ensure that the delphinium flowers can last in the vase as long as 7-10 days.

Special care is taken when packing the flowers for shipping. They are laid carefully in the custom-made box, alternating their position and tied down with rubberbands to prevent sliding and crashing into the sides. Without this preparation the tips would break, rendering the flower unusable.”

Beautiful varieties of Delphinium:

“The name delphinium is from the Latin term “delphis” meaning dolphin, which is displayed in the shape of its bottle-nose buds. The flowering plants are native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and high in tropical African Mountains. These perennial, long-stemmed garden rockets grow from 4 inches to a dramatic 7 feet in height! The dense clusters of five petal blossoms are surrounded be deeply lobed leaves.

As with any cut flower, we want these colorful summer spikes to grace our spaces as long as possible. To extend its vase life, change the vase water every 2-3 days with cold water, keeping the level near the top of the vase. Add one packet of cut-flower food to the water or make your own, simply adding a teaspoon of sugar to the clean water. Recut the stems with a sharp knife or shears at about a half inch. Be sure to cut at a 45 degree angle, which prevents the stems from sitting flat on the vase bottom, allowing for better absorption.”

The flowers growing in a field:

Thanks for the tips, Bas!