Corydalis 2016

[Gabriela]

Gabriela your nobilis looks very strong  it should set seeds

I think it needs cross pollination Yann. I am curious to see if the young one flowering next to it will make a difference this year. It looks like this only because it grows incredibly fast after it warms up in the spring (sometimes +/- 10 cm/day  )

[johnw]

Friend has a huge clump of C. nobilis, came from Goteborg back in the 70's as I recall. He just gave me one.  I'll see if he can collect seed.

edit - By sheer coincidence a friend just sent me a photo of his C. nobilis, it too is from the Goteborg/Oxen Pond/Nova Scotia plant.  I'll see if they'll all collect seed!  Oops correction, these C. nobilis originated via the ORGS seedex,  they're trying to find the seed donor and if found I'll post. Good news is copious seed is produced.

john

[Ulla Hansson]

I have a large plant of Corydalis nobilis. It always puts plenty of seed, but I do not know if the seed is fertile. It tends to get little seedlings here and there, but for the amount of seed, it should be more seedlings. Is there an easy way to determine if a seed is fertile?

[Gabriela]

Friend has a huge clump of C. nobilis, came from Goteborg back in the 70's as I recall. He just gave me one.  I'll see if he can collect seed.

edit - By sheer coincidence a friend just sent me a photo of a C. nobilis seedling, it too is from the Goteborg/Oxen Pond/Nova Scotia plant.  I'll see if they'll all collect seed!
john

It would be great to have few seeds of a different provenience John. Forumist and friend Robert Pavlis, who lives in a city nearby, also has a few plants, but they are all 'brothers/sisters' with the ones I have. They set a few seeds every year.

I have a large plant of Corydalis nobilis. It always puts plenty of seed, but I do not know if the seed is fertile. It tends to get little seedlings here and there, but for the amount of seed, it should be more seedlings. Is there an easy way to determine if a seed is fertile?

A cross section through the seeds should reveal if there is an embryo inside or not; hard to say if the embryos are normal and would grow though.

[Leena]

Here is my Corydalis nobilis. I got one plant from an old farm house about 20 years ago, and at first it didn't increase at all. Slowly I started to see seedlings, but it took perhaps 10 years before I had more of them flowering, and now there are new seedlings in odd places, but it isn't a nuisance at all. So it can produce viable seeds with only one clone, but not much of them.
Here it grows under wild plums (with ground elder  ).  I think the flowers are quite small here compared to the whole plant.

[Lesley Cox]

I have a large plant of Corydalis nobilis. It always puts plenty of seed, but I do not know if the seed is fertile. It tends to get little seedlings here and there, but for the amount of seed, it should be more seedlings. Is there an easy way to determine if a seed is fertile?

Best way is to sow it surely.

I had this plant once from SRGC or AGS seed and it did germinate but got too dry and died. But I have seen it growing around a greenhouse by the metre in a warmer part of NZ and the seedlings had spread into the green house and the nearby vegetable garden. Looked like it could be a menace. Definitely the same species and growing to about half a metre, gorgeous in bloom.

[Gabriela]

Here is my Corydalis nobilis. I got one plant from an old farm house about 20 years ago, and at first it didn't increase at all. Slowly I started to see seedlings, but it took perhaps 10 years before I had more of them flowering, and now there are new seedlings in odd places, but it isn't a nuisance at all. So it can produce viable seeds with only one clone, but not much of them.
Here it grows under wild plums (with ground elder  ).  I think the flowers are quite small here compared to the whole plant.

Very nice Leena!
It is known that in time C. nobilis can become weedy. It is said that has happened even at Linnaeus former summer house. I look forward to this for my garden

[David Nicholson]

In reply 100 I was bemoaning that my newly acquired Corydalis 'Spinners' had been devoured by snails. Wrong plant though it was C. 'Hale Cat' that was one of the devoured. Here's my C. 'Spinners' and also C. 'Blue Dragon'

[Gabriela]

Nice blue Corys David!

Not in my garden and almost done flowering; took me a while to ID-it ( forgot to take a good picture with the leaves 
Corydalis incisa

[Lesley Cox]

Are your blues clones of C. flexuosa David?

[David Nicholson]

I'm far from being an expert Lesley but I assume flexuosa genes are in the mix somewhere. Maybe Maggi will see this and remind us what is in the breeding of 'Craigton Blue' as this might be useful.

[Tristan_He]

Maybe Maggi will see this.

Nah, she's never on these pages! 

I have a feeling I read somewhere it's C. omeiana x flexuosa?

In the meantime here is my 'Craigton Blue', really thriving. I've given bits to the neighbours too, as I have rather a lot!

[Gabriela]

Wow Tristan - you really have lots to share!
It would be great to have these cv. available here.

[Maggi Young]

Tristan has the parentage of Corydalis 'Craigton Blue' exactly correct .

I may be biased ( surely not, I've made a career of logically analysed comments!) but I do love 'Craigton Blue' - when it is happy it is a truly superb garden plant that gives interest over a very long period - great to see it looking so good in Tristan's garden. 

[Leena]

Tristan's 'Craigton Blue' is great.
Mine has taken time to adjust to Finnish winter (and last winter was quite hard) so it isn't very big, but it is now in bud.
Corydalis 'Korn's Purple' is flowering here now, very nice.

Today I collected fresh Corydalis nobilis seeds, and I have extra for two packets, if anyone would like them.