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Artist notes
I brought these delphiniums home from an Oxfordshire Rare Plant Fair a few years back and growing them has been one of the great pleasures of summer in my garden - possibly the main event. Their gradients still seem improbable, otherworldly and cosmic. A wash of colours triggering the Florascopic urge to preserve, compose, and go, “just look at this.”
As with hydrangeas, the structures we think of as petals are actually sepals. In ‘Galileo’, the true petals are the furry, architecturally quirky, near-black ‘eye’ or ‘bee’ in the center.
Scientific notes
Delphinium takes its name from the ancient Greek delphis, meaning dolphin—because of its dolphin-shaped flowers.
The colours keep developing after the flower opens. These incredible blues, indigos, violets, and pinks are produced from anthocyanin pigments modified by the attachment of sugars and organic acids. The colours often get more intense over the first 3 days, which is when I gathered these specimens.
Some bees break into the nectar supply. Delphiniums hide an intricate arrangement of nectar chambers adapted for bumblebees. In some wild species, bees will bite holes through these nectar spurs, taking a shortcut that bypasses the usual entrance without pollinating the flower. Botanists call this “nectar robbing”.
Their toxins are used as tools in neuroscience. All parts of delphiniums are poisonous to humans if eaten, and one of its toxic compounds, methyllcaconitine, has helped researchers distinguish between receptors involved in nerve signalling.
More from the Scope series
Circular compositions exploring plant structure through the lens of art, design, and science.
Scope No. 6: Erysimum Embers
2026
30 × 30cm (12 × 12”)
A pressed botanical composition revealing the gradients of colour and form in the petals of Erysimum cheiri ‘Fire King’, shifting from luminous yellow to deep ember red across the flowering season.
Print details:
• Museum-quality 310gsm fine art paper
• Acid-free with a warm, textured, matte finish
• Open edition, printed and signed by the artist in Oxford.
Delivery:
• Free tracked worldwide delivery for 2026
• Dispatched within 2–4 working days
Framing:
Natural oak or black veneer, made to order (UK delivery only).
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Scope No. 5: Primrose Ripples
2026
30 × 30cm (12 × 12”)
A pressed botanical composition featuring the complementary and translucent colours of Primula vulgaris 'Belarina Rhapsody' petals as they expand in concentric ripples from the centre.
Print details:
• Museum-quality 310gsm fine art paper
• Acid-free with a warm, textured, matte finish
• Open edition, printed and signed by the artist in Oxford.
Delivery:
• Free tracked worldwide delivery for 2026
• Dispatched within 2–4 working days
Framing:
Natural oak or black veneer, made to order (UK delivery only).
Secure checkout · Major cards · Apple Pay · Google Pay · PayPal
Shipping & returns / T&C
Scope No. 3: Hydrangea Drift
2026
30 × 30cm (12 × 12”)
A pressed botanical composition tracking the colour, scale and form transformations of Hydrangea macrophylla florets as they mature.
Print details:
• Museum-quality 310gsm fine art paper
• Acid-free with a warm, textured, matte finish
• Open edition, printed and signed by the artist in Oxford.
Delivery:
• Free tracked worldwide delivery for 2026
• Dispatched within 2–4 working days
Framing:
Natural oak or black veneer, made to order (UK delivery only).
Secure checkout · Major cards · Apple Pay · Google Pay · PayPal
Shipping & returns / T&C