Four Codonopsis

[Stephenb]

Quite foxy, isn't it... Probably not ones for your salad, Stephen

Just had a sniff - yes, foxy/fishy...

The roots of lanceolata and pilosula are commonly eaten in the Far East and pilosula (Dang Shen) is of course a ginseng substitute, so they might find a place in a salad one day, but definitely not the flowers...

I have another, C. tangshen, in bud and it appears to be green, so maybe I'll have something else than clematidea soon...

[Gunilla]

I have tried Codonopsis seed from several seed exchanges but have given up on naming the plants.  C. ovata always turns out to be clematidea or something else.  As a result I have many different Codonopsis in my garden but still no ovata  .    I try not to touch the plants - the smell is appalling.

Codonopsis lanceolata
C. grey-wilsonii
C. clematidea
4-8 Codonopsis ?

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, Codonopsis grow from succulent tubers which go dormant as soon as the plants have seeded, which they do copiously (in general). They remain dormant until the following spring, even late in spring or early summer so they're not above ground for very long. As a result, they will stand quite a lot of drought I find, but the top growth is much better when they have a cool, moist place. Most species flower summer into autumn. When they're dormant I frequently throw out small tubers, thinking they are dead and then later I find them growing in odd places like among the lettuces.

Ulla that is a lovely lavender-washed form in your fourth picture, with the perfect background, which is.....?

[ashley]

A beautiful series Ulla.  As an aside, that looks like Fuchsia magellanica in your fifth picture.  Does it tolerate the southern Swedish winter?

[Gunilla]

Lesley, as you say they selfseed a lot and the one in my fourth picture is a seedling climbing in an Agastache, also selfseeded  .

Ashley, I grow Fuchsia magellanica outside and it is hardy but freezes down to the ground most winters.

[Paul T]

Thanks Lesley.  I'll have to keep an eye out for them then, if you think they can grow here.  I've loved all the pics of them that I've seen.