Re: corydalis

Hello Bill, Marge and others in pursuit of Corydalis,
    There are two native species of Corydalis that show up most frequently in this
region. C. flavula and C. sempervirens. Flavula is a small yellow-blooming that is
best described as a winter germinating weed. Mine have green foliage and
straw-yellow flowers and re-seed everywhere. Dormant by now. Try to dig them out
whenever I locate a remaining plant in the garden. Sempervirens is an annual or
bi-annual, yellow and pink in bloom, bluish foliage, taller and more weak in
growth.
    Bill, if you purchased a bronze-foliage small plant with light yellow blooms,
I am going to bet you have C. cheilanthifolia. If so, you may want to discard now
before it takes over your garden. Gets to about 2 feet or more in height, at least
3 feet or more across, coarse looking in appearance and has a bazillion seeds ...
all of which will germinate the first season in your garden.
    C. lutea is one of the better corydalis for the garden. Easily grown, great
appearance from April through first hard freeze in November here and in continual
bloom of bright yellow on deep green foliage. Will form patches in time, but not
dense enough to smother out other taller plants.
    C.ochroleuca is another must-have. White with yellow tipped blooms, blue-gray
foliage. Come up in March and stays in bloom until November. loves dry shade and
re-seeds into rocky cervices. Only problem is ... it does not like to winter over
in pots.
    C. solida is an ephemeral from a small bulb. Most frequent in catalogs is the
species which has a lavender-rose bloom. Forms clumps from off-sets and seeds
about to form drifts over time. There are other forms such as "George Baker" in a
brick-red. Nice little bulb for drifts of color in March. Dormant now.
    C. flexs... I have killed numerous forms and the species. Cannot get it to
grow here. The C. elata I am playing with now in the garden. I am hearing good
things about this one. Saw it last weekend up in northern Indiana doing quite well
after two years in a garden.
    Marge, I am potting up C. ochroleuca this week from seedling in the garden.
Hopefully it will return for fall sales.
    Gene Bush     Southern Indiana    Zone 6a     Munchkin Nursery
          around the woods - around the world
genebush@otherside.com     http://www.munchkinnursery.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Marge Talt <mtalt@clark.net>
Subject: Re: corydalis


> Bill, if your "wild" one has attractive greyish leaves and rather
> wishy-washy straw colored (dirty white) flowers, I bet it's C.
> ophiocarpa, which seeds excessively and flops all once it's
> mature....young it's a nice mound of foliage. Finally think I may
> have gotten rid of this one; was not enamored of it at all.
>
> C. lutea is, IMO, a charming plant.  Cute and perky and keeps on
> bloomin'.  Had some for nearly 20 years and it died out and I've been
> aggressively snagging it from plant exchange to get it going again.
>
> C. ochreleuca is a love.  Got mine from Gene Bush's Munchkin Nursery
> and adore it.  Just hope it decides to seed about.  See he is sold
> out for this year, but those who want it can check next year (this
> fall?  Gene?)...
>
> http://www.munchkinnursery.com/catalog/browse?FddKQYpc;C2
>
> Have killed several of the blue C. flexuosas...read (and believe)
> that they just can't take high summer temperatures nor soil that
> dries out, but it's the heat, I think that does them in.  Pity as
> they are incredible.  Seem to thrive in the PNW...but what doesn't
> except sweet corn and tomatoes?
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland


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