Corydalis 2014

[Leena]

Leena, the Corydalis solida cultivars are lovely at this time, but they do seed around profusely in my garden, so much so that I am having to weed them out now.

How lovely view! Here C.solida is at its best in the end of April and beginning of May. I'll post pictures when they flower.
I have had some red and pink solida cultivars now for only a few years, and I hope someday they will increase as much as with you and with Roma.   My first solidas were purple but the reds are so much more special and give much needed color to the garden after the winter.
Last couple of years I have collected the seeds from the reds and sown them in pots, I think the first of them will flower next year.
My plan with them as with many other plants is first to buy the good mother plants and then increase them from seeds. It takes time but it is cheaper.

[Leena]

I started with Corydalis 'George Baker' in a pot and got lots of seedlings in the frame.  I planted them out in the garden and have as many purples as reds and pinkish reds.  Pale pinks are rare.

It will be interesting to see what color my open pollinated seedlings from reds will produce. I try to keep the purples in the other side of the garden, but of course the bees fly everywhere.
I have a nice pale pink cultivar, 'Preludie', which is one of the first to come up and flower, I can already see it's buds. Another pale pink is 'Blushing Girl', but it seems to be slow to increase in my garden (and it is quite small), and I haven't looked for it's seeds.

[Cyril L]

Wonderful show of Corydalis solida, Cyril.  Do you weed out most of the purples?  I started with Corydalis 'George Baker' in a pot and got lots of seedlings in the frame.  I planted them out in the garden and have as many purples as reds and pinkish reds.  Pale pinks are rare.  I have a couple of white solidas in pots but have not planted any in the garden yet.

Roma, I have been weeding out the muddy purples over the last few years but this year I am being more ruthless and am including pinks and reds.  Whites are not very common and I have left these so far.  Weeding them is the only way to see other plants flowering at the same time.  I do come across the odd interesting colours which I mark and keep.  I even found a C. malkensis purple hybrid which I am fond of.  You would think that these hybrids would be more common by the way that C. malkensis seeds around but this is one of the few hybrids I have found over the years.

[Leena]

Cyril, what plants do you grow in the same beds after the Corydalis is over?

[arisaema]

Cyril; do you have a picture of the malkensis hybrid?  I had a single hybrid show up among a clump of seedlings in my old garden, picture below.

[Tony Willis]

Corydalis solida from Mt Vermion Greece where they are all white. Not a good year for them here so not flowering too well.

[Cyril L]

Cyril, what plants do you grow in the same beds after the Corydalis is over?

All sorts of plants Leena.  Bulbs include galanthus, narcissus, fritillaria, erythronium, iris etc.  There are also other smaller alpines, pulsatilla and a few dwarf daphnes.  The problem is that right now you can only see the corydalis as they are so dominant.

[Cyril L]

Cyril; do you have a picture of the malkensis hybrid?  I had a single hybrid show up among a clump of seedlings in my old garden, picture below.

Bjonar, your hybrid will probably look similar to mine once the flowers are fully open.

Here are some pictures of my hybrid.

[Jacek]

Can you help to identify this corydalis? I made pictures today.




I bought it a few years ago with the name "Corydalis Anetkas" - a name that is clearly not valid. The nursery (located in Poland) does not offer it any more and the owner did not know any other name for it.

Using the book "Bleeding Hearts, Corydalis, and Their Relatives" I provisionally identified it as Corydalis ellipticarpa.

It is relatively tall - more than 30 cm in summer. Forms pseudobulbs at the soil level built of swollen leaf bases (similar to C. Chocolate Stars, but smaller). They can be detached and replanted. Hardy in our winters. Needs continuous moisture - in droughty places dwindles and disappears. In my garden I am able to keep it only in shady location (water??) Flowers are very few. Individual flower is fairly big, yellow, but turns brown rapidly. For me - only the foliage is interesting and you can see it at its best. I have not had seeds so far

[arisaema]

Here are some pictures of my hybrid.

It's lovely! Mine was lost when I moved to China.

Using the book "Bleeding Hearts, Corydalis, and Their Relatives" I provisionally identified it as Corydalis ellipticarpa.

Certainly looks like C. ellipticarpa, a picture of it in flower would confirm it.

[ChrisB]

The best thing about my corydalis solida bed is that the bumblebees swarm all over it!

[Steve Garvie]

Corydalis ornata a clonal selection called "Blue Lip"

[Lina Hesseling]

Steve, what a lovely Corydalis. I have never seen this one before.
It is on my wishlist now!

Lina.

[Jacek]

Steve, Corydalis ornata is nice, but your pictures are even better.

Arisaema, thanks for info. I will show flowers when I have some. But I believe, the spring foliage is the best feature of this plant. Do you know what conditions have to be met to make it flowering? Does it need sun? Or may be it dislikes warm summers?

[Cyril L]

Corydalis ornata a clonal selection called "Blue Lip"

Very striking Steve.  I grew one as C. turtschachinovii 'Blue Lip' (probably correctly C. ornata) for many years but eventually lost it.  Did you get yours recently?