corydalis "blue heron"

[carolm 1]

I'm about to get a shipment that includes Blue Heron corydalis , (Corydalis curviflora var. rosthornii). Has anyone grown this successfully? Still trying to figure out the best place to put it to ensure survival past the first year. Was even thinking of potting it up this summer to grow it out and putting it in the ground in the fall.

[denny144 0]

I have several varieties of corydalis, but don't know if any of them are Blue Heron. I've had them so long, I've forgotten the names so if Blue Heron is a recent cultivar in the last year or so, it's not one I have. Mine are yellow and lilac colored ones and they are blooming right now and will do so off and on through to the fall. They are in full to partial moist shade in a bed up against my brick house. The bed faces north but is somewhat protected from the wind by the closeness of the neighbor's house. The bed is full of lamium, hostas, ferns and other shade lovers but the corydalis spread themselves around and I never know where they will appear next. They readily pop up among the other plants but don't take over the bed. They have long since moved from the spot where I originally put the plants 5+ years ago. I don't think of them as being especially fragile (unless there's something special about the Blue Heron that I'm not familiar with) so I would go ahead and plant them in the spring rather than wait until fall. In the winter, the entire bed gets a 6-12 inch layer of leaf mulch.

[Steven Nikkila 32]

We've tried a blue corydalis at three or four different gardens and haven't had any luck with it being perennial. The variety we had was "Blue Panda" and haven't tried another one. We do know of some that have survived winter at the display gardens at Arrowhead Alpines and they like 2 of them:

 

Corydalis ex dufu temple is like golden bleeding heart, hardy and seeds around merrily. We've seen it there in August and been very impressed. If only Bob was still around to tell you how much he liked, but Brigitta is still there and she knows!

 

Corydalis elata is better than the likes of Blue Panda, per Arrowhead Alpines.

 

We'd sure love to know how these plants do for others. We think they maybe pretty sight sensitive not just a zone hardiness thing. If enough of us describe the sites they make it in we'll get ahead of the game.

[carolm 1]

Steve, I've tried Corydalis elata once and I think I got it to survive for a couple years. I suspect you're right about it being a matter of finding a good site for it. I'm going to try morning sun and total afternoon shade this time.

[Janet Macunovich 32]

Let us know. We keep meaning to try it somewhere but haven't!