C. sempervirens

In a message dated 6/4/02 4:09:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mtalt@hort.net 
writes:

<< C. sempervirens seems to be one that gets a tad lanky - not flopping,
 but not dome shaped, if you know what I mean.  But the flowers are so
 durn cute...won't worry about form.  Claire said to cut it back; may
 do. >>

Last year's plants are blooming here now.  That is a late May plant,  here is 
an early bloomer.  Did I mention they often behave as biennials.  There is 
enough seed to take care of this.  Take care you do not weed out the 
seedlings which will germinate again when nights become cooler.   This plant 
is allowed to grow all over here while a native.  I have never seen it 
outside a garden.  It is a good mixer, grows close to other plants without 
harming or overwhelming them.  When it becomes blooming size it puts on some 
height and can look lanky. That is why I chop it down with the lawn scissors 
when I see one attaining any size.  The bloom period can be any time all 
summer.

Excepting the dormant sorts, Corydalis seems to able to flower any month that 
is frost free.

At the rocks meeting last month we had a speaker who had been in parts of 
Asia on a plant "looking" trip.  She showed several Corydalis, all growing 
alone, all on dry rocky land. She commented that aside from lutea, they had 
only become a fad in the last few years. She did not like them and also did 
not like the Juno irises, another fad.  Thought valuable garden space should 
be used for more classical rock plants. Almost nobody agreed with here.

Here I could say that all this gravel growing is called scree conditions in 
the alpine language.  Often a plant now on the perennial market has come from 
 alpine gardening and proven easy to grow without constructing a homemade 
mountain.  Many a garden has scree conditions and just doesn't know it.  
After  learning some about these plants and gravel growing plants, it dawned 
on me that half of my garden
was or could be scree.  So, don't be put off by sharp drainage, needs scree 
conditions, arid native or any of those expressions.  If the plant is in the 
perennial trade you can probably grow it with a small adjustment.

If you live above the easy zones 6-7-8 and on up into zone 4, you get used to 
adjustments.  I think most marketing of perennials is aimed at zones 5 
through 8, all others needing to learn more about heat or cold.

Claire Peploski
NYS z4
 

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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