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Corydalis - Page 8

© Marge Talt

Corydalis ex. 'Du Fu Temple'

C. 'Du Fu Temple' is new this year. A very tiny plant was acquired from Arrowhead Alpines, who introduced it in the US from plants produced from a collection of seed offered by the Scottish Rock Garden Seed Exchange. Arrowhead says, as far as they know, all stock in the US originated with them. It appears to be of unknown species assignment, but it is being offered by some sources as a form of the biennial C. linstowiana, however Arrowhead says that this does not resemble their form.

Not remembering that I read that it seeds happily around in their sandy soil, and not paying attention to my own observation about this genus thriving best in bright light, I planted my child in the amended clay woodland garden, in too much shade, where the slugs found it. I discovered this in the nick of time (I hope) and moved it to the edge of the bed where C. ochroleuca romps so happily. At last check, it still lived but with virtually no foliage remaining from the slug feast.

Should this survive and bloom, the flowers are purported to be wonderfully blue - from sky blue to purplish blue, with the sky blue forms predominating. It is supposed to bloom from spring until frost. It's said, by those who grow it, to be a tough plant, semi-tuberous, cold hardy (at least to USDA z. 5 in sandy soil) and permanent. I live in hope.

Propagation

The tuberous rooted species form offsets yearly, which can be easily moved to a new location once the plants go dormant. Just be sure to mark their location; they fade away fast during the spring rush.

Fibrous rooted species can be divided, but I have found that getting divisions to live is a bit tricky. Plants can be dug and moved, but dividing is rather traumatic.

All species can be grown from seed - in fact most of them will seed around like mad once they're established. Named cultivars may not come true from seed. Unfortunately, many sources are selling seed grown plants as if they were vegetatively propagated, by the cultivar name without an "ex" in front of it to indicate that they are seed of a cultivar. This tends to muddle the water because no seed grown plant will exactly resemble its parents.

The scaly-stemmed blue species apparently reproduce by stems scales. Dan Hinkley noted in The Explorer's Garden that they have discovered the importance of removing all debris from the potting table after dividing plants as hundreds of plants now share their pots with happy Corydalis as a result of minute stem scales contaminating the potting soil.

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