Corydalis 2010

[David Nicholson]

I've never understood what its purpose is (Joint Rock)

[Tony Willis]

Chris very nice plants.I find the solida's grow well with me outside and self seed .

[Hristo]

Hi Tony,
Too true, they self sow quite happily here along with most of the other species, may end up with a hybrid swarm!
The colour range in your solida seedlings is superb, have you other species in the open garden?
Regards
Chris

[Maggi Young]

RE : "Joint Rock", the joint RHS, AGS, SRGC plant Committee.... here, in two parts, is an article : "The Mysterious Joint Rock Committee"  from the Rock Garden journal of the SRGC from 1990 by Lyn Bezzant (who was at that time the SRGC Secretary to the committee) This may be helpful to those who know little about it.... click on the files names to download them

 The Mysterious Joint Rock Committee _ Lyn Bezzant page one.pdf (373.42 kB - downloaded 130 times.)    page one

 The Mysterious Joint Rock Committee _ Lyn Bezzant page two.pdf (318.79 kB - downloaded 92 times.)    page two

[Gail]

Now my selection of flowerers, some of which look similiar to each other, some of which have returned from the dead, some are now 12 years old and from Christies, none of which cost more than 6 euros.....

Lovely selection Chris and I do like the idea of plants that return from the dead - it's usually only couch grass and ground elder that do that for me unfortunately!

[Hristo]

LOL, too true Gail. This was the chionophila. I bought if from an AGS show at St.Chads, it was 50p sized, over the next 7 years it grew to fist size, last year it never flowered. I checked and only found a papery husk where once it had been. Two days ago spotted this roughly where the old tuber had been. It has spent the whole winter exposed to the elements, no cover,no protection, I must be braver and put my Leonticoides section corydalis outside.
Inspired by your malkensis I checked round the base of mine and found seedlings, I guess we can look forward to Maggis promise of drifts of malkensis, ummmm cultivar name there eh, 'Maggi's Drift'!?

[TheOnionMan]

This was the chionophila. I bought if from an AGS show at St.Chads, it was 50p sized, over the next 7 years it grew to fist size, last year it never flowered. I checked and only found a papery husk where once it had been. Two days ago spotted this roughly where the old tuber had been. It has spent the whole winter exposed to the elements, no cover,no protection, I must be braver and put my Leonticoides section corydalis outside.

Inspired by your malkensis I checked round the base of mine and found seedlings, I guess we can look forward to Maggis promise of drifts of malkensis, ummmm cultivar name there eh, 'Maggi's Drift'!?

Chris, the C. chionophila is exquisite... the others nice too, but that one really "sends me", as do most of the Leonticoides section.  My C. malkensis is starting to seed around too, which I'm happy about.

[Jane]

Great pictures Chris. I was very cruel and let my Corydalis popovii take the full force of thiw winter without any protection! However I did give it a lovely bed of gravel to sit on!

[Tony Willis]

Hi Tony,
Too true, they self sow quite happily here along with most of the other species, may end up with a hybrid swarm!
The colour range in your solida seedlings is superb, have you other species in the open garden?
Regards
Chris

No I only have the solida in the garden but will be trying malkensis later this year when I rescue them from the plunge. I only grow a couple of other species and apart from these it is not a genus I find particularly attractive.

Mine have originated from George Baker and Beth Evans (if they were true) plus several others I have collected seed of in the wild over a number of years.

[cohan]

Now my selection of flowerers, some of which look similiar to each other, some of which have returned from the dead, some are now 12 years old and from Christies, none of which cost more than 6 euros.....
Corydalis caucasica
Corydalis chionophila
Corydalis intermedia
Corydalis paczoskii
Corydalis schanginii ssp. schanginii
corydais solida ssp. slivensis
Corydalis solida ssp. solida
Corydalis solida ssp. solida
Corydalis tauricola
Corydalis popovii

every one is lovely! hopefully aurea will join the crowd next year..

[Hristo]

I hope so too Cohan, apart from a corydalis that is not nobilis I don't have any really intesne yellow corydalis.
Last two corydalis from the other day;
Corydalis malkensis
Corydalis corydalis taurica x caucasica alba

[TheOnionMan]

Found this paper publishing three new species of Corydalis in China, only the first is of particular interest:

New Species of Corydalis (Fumariaceae) from China
(C. anthocrene, brachyceras, helodes)

http://www.sekj.org/PDF/anb45-free/anb45-129.pdf

It reads "Corydalis anthrocene is one of the more spectacular species in the genus, with numerous clear blue flowers and crispy clear green leaves".  The black and white herbarium specimen photograph show it to be a rock garden dream.

[WimB]

Gandalf has been blushing since a couple of days   (see reply 12 of this topic to see the colour when it starts flowering: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5132.msg142871#msg142871   )

[Janis Ruksans]

Found this paper publishing three new species of Corydalis in China, only the first is of particular interest:

New Species of Corydalis (Fumariaceae) from China
(C. anthocrene, brachyceras, helodes)

http://www.sekj.org/PDF/anb45-free/anb45-129.pdf

It reads "Corydalis anthrocene is one of the more spectacular species in the genus, with numerous clear blue flowers and crispy clear green leaves".  The black and white herbarium specimen photograph show it to be a rock garden dream.

Yes it is nice, but most of those Chinese are without tubers and impossible to grow here. Even tuberous from China isn't easy.
Janis

[TheOnionMan]

Yes it is nice, but most of those Chinese are without tubers and impossible to grow here. Even tuberous from China isn't easy.
Janis

Well, one can dream  C. flexuosa 'China Blue' and C. elata, two beautiful blue-flowered Chinese species, have been dependably perennial here for 8-9 years so far, so I hold out hope there are others that'll be growable.

C. elata is a terrific species, does not go dormant later in summer like flexuosa does but stays in good green growth, with a long summer season of beautiful blue flowers that uniquely smell of coconut perfume.