Delphiniums

We have just had the village spring flower show and I have been captivated by the Delphinium cases.  I knew what they were before the show, but one guy just romped home with no more than half a dozen plants.

I spent this morning roaming the local garden centres (6) to see if I could pick up some plants for next year or even just some seeds, but nothing.

What do you guys know about growing them?  Do I start with seed and grow them on.  Do they come as plugs and grow them on or are the hardy perenials?

Help required from this learned circle please.

Rugbymad

I have some delphinium plants going at the moment that I grew from seed in an unheated propagator, I put them outside (not planted in the ground), and they are small but growing away fine, I will plant them out when I have dug up another bed at the allotment and when they are bigger.

I got the seeds from T&M I  think, but I have seen them in most of the big supermarkets, they often have seeds racks.

Slugs like them so you need to watch out there, but I think they are pretty hardy otherwise.