The Delphinium elatum are standing tall, head and shoulders above most of their present company. They exclaim, with their bolt of blue, upward motion and mood of their own, “It is summer, we are here and do not walk by without marvelling.”

I must admit to not having been drawn to delphiniums until recently. The garden forms made me think of the rigour and horticultural excellence that is required at the Chelsea Flower Show to make them stand to attention in ranks against a canvas backdrop. Vita Sackville-West famously grew them at Sissinghurst in her time there, where staking and the careful attention they might need to remain perfect carried a weight of horticultural expectation. I always pictured them in a more traditional country garden or at the back of perennial borders arranged by height, rather than the naturalistic setting of Hillside, where plants are chosen for feeling on the wild side.