As a beginning gardener I fell in love with Corydalis (pronounced “core-rid-a-lis”). I have a great friend who is a wonderful gardener who gave me my first Corydalis. It was a white one that to this day defies definition. She had been growing it in her garden since her children were little. They are now grown with kids of their own and the white Corydalis lives in my garden. The plant was so intriguing to me that I started looking for more of the same.
I found a yellow one that is quite a weed, Corydalis lutea.
Corydalis lutea
The new and the old, fads and not.
Here is a unusual one from Far Reaches Farms. Kelly, the owner, is a great gardener and always has the coolest plants. It is a completely different take from my other Corydalis and is ‘red’ (ish). It seems to be a strong grower and is happy under the considerable shade of Gunnera leaf.
Corydalis ‘John Baker’
Corydalis rosthornii
Here is a picture of a vibrant blue one from Sundquist Nurseries. It is called Corydalis rosthornii or Corydalis ‘blue heron’. It is the only one I’ve found so far to be fragrant.
It is happy in the shade of a Camellia ‘Black Opal’ and a crazy Rosa Sericea pterancantha (winged thorn rose). I like it for the edging of a path here, Mixed with black Mondo grass, black stemmed Pittosporum, purple leaved Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’. it pulls vibrancy into the black section of my garden. Knautia macedonica and black iris are on the other side of the path. These are obviously later bloomers so the color in early spring from the Corydalis is quite welcome.
Another one with a much larger structure is the Corydalis ellipticarpa It is near a Daphne that blooms early. This Corydalis blooms a little later in my garden so it looking fab when the Daphne is over. It is related to Corydalis temuifolia ‘ Chocolate Stars’ but has yellow flowers.
Corydalis ellipticarpa
Speaking of ‘Chocolate Stars’ Here it is in another part of my garden.
Corydalis temuifolia ‘ Chocolate Stars’
These shade lovers are amazing in their differences as well as their ability to bring a fresh leaf and soft ferny foliage to the garden. They grow at different rates and bloom at different times. I will post more pictures later in the season when the ellipticarpa, chocolate stars, and white one are blooming. (I think the white one might be Corydalis solida ‘white knight’) Check out Far Reaches Farms for some great varieties and a fabulous website odysseybulbs.com for more.
How many Corydalis do you grow? What is your favorite source? What combinations have you come up with? How do you handle the summer dormancy?
Till next time. Keep getting dirty!
