We are registered in England as a Charity so we are responsible to the Charity Commissioners for ensuring that our annual programme of events and activities is based on effective educational aims and objectives. Much of our educational rôle is stated under membership enquiries but it is important to emphasise them on this page of our web-site.

In the broadest terms our educational "mission" is promoted through our two annual publications which are the Year Book and the Autumn Bulletin. From time to time we issue other publications which are also offered to the general public. Our publications 'Simply Delphiniums', 'The Delphinium Garden', and our latest promotion, the Society's DVD, exemplify the educational core of our work. In the regions we are also offering DVD material having a local approach to cultivation problems. These vary extensively from region to region.The Society's DVD covers all aspects of delphinium growing and should provide information for anyone wishing to achieve a clear understanding of cultivation techniques. Nonetheless, educational advice is a never ending process which we discover whenever we appear on a showstand. Educational advice is also offered by e-mail and on the telephone and is never restricted to the membership. We do, of course, hope that the advice we give will stimulate enrolment of new members who will play a part in the future work of the Society.

It is essential that we demonstrate to the public the nature of our work and this we do by means of our showstand displays, exhibitions and workshops. We now provide showstands at the following locations:-

• Chelsea Flower Show, which has been an annual location of immensely long standing.
• The Harrogate Spring and Autumn Shows.
• The Great Yorkshire Show.
• The Driffield Show.
• The Leeds Show.
• Th Bath Spring Flower Show in 2009.
• The Ayr Flower Show for the first time in 2009.
• 'Gardening Scotland', Ingliston, Edinburgh, for the first time in 2010.
• Dundee Flower and Food Festival, for the first time in 2008 but not in 2010.
• The Royal Norfolk Show, for the first time in 2008.

Show competitions at:-

• The Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, Wisley - The Society's Early and Late Show
• The Royal Norfolk Show; the Norfolk Delphinium Championship in 2008 and 2009 and now to become the first East Anglian Delphinium Championship in 2010.
• Temple Newsam, Leeds - the venue of the Society's Northern Show.
• The Great Yorkshire Show - the Society's Yorkshire Delphinium Championship.
• The West of Scotland Delphinium Championship.
• The Cheshire Delphinium Championship at the Alderley Edge & Wilmslow Horticultural & Rose Society's Show at Wilmslow.

Delphinium Display Gardens:-

• In the walled garden at Godinton House, Great Chart, Nr Ashford, Kent; an on-going project since the mid 1990s
• In the walled garden at Carnell House, Hurlford, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire; an on-going project since Year 2000
• In the Bishop's Palace Garden, Norwich; a project under development in Year 2010

Showstands, exhibitions and Championship Competitions all bring to general public notice the floristic qualities of our flower and its wide applicability in garden design. Other exhibitions are being projected/proposed for the future, starting in 2009.

We have a Kent & East Sussex Group, a Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Group - the Northern Group - and a Scottish Group. From Year 2008 there has been rapid development work in Norfolk which has now culminated in the formation of the Society's Norfolk Growers Group which will administer the Society's responsibilities in our Partnership with the Norfolk & Norwich Horticultural Society at the Royal Norfolk Show. The Delphinium Garden in the walled garden at Godinton House is a major achievement for the Society and, like all such projects, is of fundamental educational importance to us. This importance also applies to the work at Carnell House near Kilmarnock. Delphinium donations to gardens in the North of England are also a principal part of our educational programme and all such activities are of benefit to the horticulturally minded public.

We run regional workshops in Scotland, the North of England and, from time to time, in the South of England and we aim to expand such meetings in the future.

We are conscious of the need to provide a list of speakers on delphinium topics. This is not an easy task to achieve and any lists which we shall be able to provide will be offered on the basis that the Society does not accept responsibility for the nature, content and quality of the presentation. We do, however, try to ensure reasonable standards. We are now in a position to offer short lists of speakers in various parts of the UK and these include Scotland, Norfolk and the South of England. We would be glad to hear from members wishing to be added to these lists.

We would welcome the establishment of discussion groups and would like to hear from members who have ideas for such developments.

Our annual income is directed to the establishment of increasing activity and the maintenance and standards of our present programme. The internet is a vital component in all our work and requires funding as does every other activity in the Society. We depend on voluntary workers; this is the traditional way in which we have functioned ever since our inception in 1928 and in our 82nd Year we hope to be able to maintain that policy wherever possible in future years.

In principle, the information which we disseminate about delphiniums is equally applicable to other herbaceous plants and we therefore endeavour to set the educational role of our Society in that context. We are basically an educational institution.

Finally, we are hoping to introduce a Members' Only section of our web-site in the latter part of 2010.

Please remember that you can always telephone 01895 464694 if you wish to discuss the regional affairs of the Society.

This statement was first published in July 2008 and will be amended from time to time.