Delphinium are an ever-popular yet still relatively under-the-radar flower, most commonly blooming in shades of purple and blue - red, white and yellow varieties are also out there though for the completists amongst you. They take their name, in part from the Greek word for ‘dolphin.’ It’s yet another sweet example of tenuous comparisons between the shape of a flower and an exotic animal (shout out to previous FOTWs the Snapdragon and Snake’s Head Fritillary!). Supposedly the shape of the spur, formed by five petal-like sepals, resembles the back of a dolphin as it crests the waves.
Okay so we’re not completely sold on that, but what we do know is that these largely alpine-dwelling stems (they’re found throughout the northern hemisphere but also high atop the mountains of tropical Africa) can add a real sprinkle of untamed beauty to a bouquet.
