Alice Artindale

Wednesday 25th August

Answering emails from people interested in delphiniums is often a major part of my day. A number of questions come up regularly so I’ve decided to post these questions and answers, or maybe a summary of them, to this blog from time to time.

Yesterday we had an enquiry from someone wanting to trace the old cultivar, Alice Artindale. This delphinium is double flowered with small florets that can look similar to a reflex chrysanthemum, only they are a blue/mauve colour never seen in chrysanthemums. The florets are compact and can be widely spaced up the stem.

This delphinium was created the same year as Jim Mann Taylor. I’ve no idea when that was but his parents were married in 1925. I know this because Jim has a genealogy web site at:
http://www.phlomis.plus.com/index.htm and tells us that delphinium “Alice Artindale has stood the test of time. Ted Barker of William Artindale and Son spotted the unusual plant and it was named after the boss's wife Alice”. There is an image of delphinium Alice Artindale on the web site of Dr David Bassett at http://www.david.bassett.care4free.net/topics2/fascinat_florets_5.htm.

Like all double flowered delphiniums Alice can be something of a chameleon and David’s image looks quite different to that of Jim Mann Taylor’s on the NCCPG plant heritage web site at http://www.nccpg.com/Gloucestershire/plantweek13b.html

Will the real Alice Artindale please take the stand!

Well, the question was “where can I buy plants of Alice Artindale?” I don’t know. I can do no better than refer you to the web site of the Delphinium Society http://www.delphinium.demon.co.uk/ and David and Jim at the web sites above.

If anyone knows Alice’s whereabouts could you please drop me a line or add a comment to this blog?

As I don't have an image of Alice Artindale this is a photo of our own Sarita. A double flowered delphinium similar in some respects to Alice.

Cheers

TerryD