Blue Dolphin has really impressed me! I bought a triple order from Northern Lights a couple of years ago, and the plants had settled in well last year. A child of the beautiful Regency Heights, with improved color. The pale orchid/lavender/pewter color is hard to capture on camera, but is soothing and a wonderful complement to yellows and warmer shades.
Big blooms really do have amazing waxy substance and stay perky all day though the sun and rain. They are spatulate and delightfully flattish, with the pistils in an array. The presentation is stately. Scapes are sturdy and almost all of them proliferate. I didn't have any intact for measuring at the end of last season. Strong foliage makes big fans for a dip. Her northern-bred and dormant nature protect her when winters are mean (like this past one!
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I was hoping that Blue Dolphin might rebloom here, but no dice. Blooms season lasts a glorious month, from 6/20 to 7/21 here in 7a in 2022. Some of her children are registered as rebloomers, and she has been a great parent of pale AND darker offspring.
Rice has a number of recent introductions out of her that I'd love to have when they come down in price.
Blue Dolphin is pollen fertile and pod fertile when the planets align. I put pollen on almost every bloom last year, and only a couple of days yielded results. (That means I got 5 big pods all of the same cross with a seedling.
Fortunately I value the seedling!)
