That’s the view of Nico Wigchert, and luckily for him he is in a position to do just that. As the second generation owner of the family nursery he has many Elatum type varieties under his wing, which provides him of course with plenty of material to dabble in a spot of hybridising.

Nico with freshly cut stems of Delphinium 'Coral Sunset'

Nico Wigchert just loves Delphiniums. He gets genuine pleasure not only from producing beautiful flowers, but also from the knowledge of the happiness they bring to those who receive them.

The Delphinium breeding area

Against the backdrop of the sand dunes of Noordwijk-aan-zee (Noordwijk-on-Sea), Nico has a small plot of land dedicated to growing Delphinium seedlings.

He monitors these for properties such as colour, flower form, height, strength etc., and those which show promise are selected to be grown on for another year.

Once a plant has proved itself reliable it is considered for production which is carried out by making cuttings, as this is the only way to ensure an exact match, as Delphiniums rarely produce identical plants from seed.