Tubular belles
The long thin blooms of corydalis put on a beautiful show (but don’t be duped by the family thug – I was, and I’m still paying the price!)
SET THEM AGAINST GOLDEN HOSTAS FOR A STRIKING LOOK
WHEN I took on my former garden in London, I spotted a seedling with lobed leaves sprouting from the front wall. My natural instinct was to evict this trespasser, but I decided to show mercy – not because I’m a sentimental old fool, but I was simply curious to discover what this mysterious ‘weed’ might turn into.
In no time at all, it had formed a clump the size of a dinner plate and bore bright yellow flowers on fleshy stems. It really was an attractive and unexpected addition to my front garden. But I soon came to regret my decision to grant leniency when its progeny started to pop up all over the place.
The plant turned out to be Corydalis lutea, a perennial from the foothills of the Alps that was introduced as an ornamental during the 1500s. It’s a notorious selfseeder with the ability to quickly colonise bare ground, and was first noted growing in the wild at the tail end of the 18th Century.
Given its reputation, I find it remarkable that you can actually buy plants and even seeds of this little thug. My advice is to give this species a wide berth, as once it’s in your garden, you’ll never get rid of it. Instead, select one of the many other types of perennial corydalis that are not nearly as invasive.
There are more than 100 different ones listed in the RHS Plant Finder with tubular flowers in shades of white, yellow, pink, blue, red and purple.
My troublesome species flowered all year in my sheltered city plot, but garden-worthy types will bloom from February to November, depending on variety.
They range in height from a diminutive 4in to relative whoppers of 3ft. Plants generally form mounds of lacy green or glaucous foliage that could easily be mistaken for a maidenhair fern. Some die back in summer, while others remain evergreen.
Closely related to lamprocapnos, corydalis can be found growing wild in North America, East Africa, Europe and Asia, with the greatest number of species endemic to mountainous sites in China.
In the Far East, several species have long been used as herbal remedies. In traditional Chinese medicine, a powder made from dried corydalis roots is prescribed to treat sciatica.
As for growing them, a few corydalis are happy in sun but the majority like a bit of shade, and will thrive in any good soil that doesn’t turn into a bog in winter or is left bone-dry in summer. Tuck them under shrubs at the front of beds and borders, or dot beneath trees in a woodland-style garden.
Early-flowering ones work well with snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs, or perennials, such as pulmonarias, trilliums, hellebores and primroses. For an eye-catching display, set blue corydalis with golden variegated hostas and painted lady ferns.
Plants are available in pots all year round, but for my money they are best bought early in the year, when showing obvious signs of life. If you don’t mind waiting, some varieties can be grown from bulblike tubers, which are offered by online bulb specialists in autumn.