Corydalis: Drifts of Colour for the Early Spring Shade Garden

I don’t often threaten customers and definitely not over social media but I might have done just that this past spring. We had a beautiful flat of Corydalis solida ‘G.P. Baker’ blooming its heart out in the shade house. I posted a picture on Facebook and Instagram stating that if no one came in and bought them soon I was going to take the whole flat home myself. Some of you did come in and then I got really busy and forgot to grab the rest of the pots for myself. So I guess my threats are empty!

The reason I wanted that whole flat is because I have seen drifts of this beautiful ephemeral fumewort in early spring and it was a sight to behold! Picture these flowers blooming by the thousands in early spring forming drifts of colour atop their delicate foliage around the tips of hosta, ferns and other shade plants that are only just beginning to stir out of the dark soil.

Corydalis solida offers a unique opportunity to add an extra layer of colour into the shade garden without sacrificing any existing plantings. Simply plant its tubers around your shade perennials and it will form clumps and then drifts of colour in early spring. As the season progresses and as your shade perennials emerge, these fumeworts will go totally dormant and wait until the following spring to put on another show. These Corydalis look particularly amazing around hellebores as they overlap in bloom time. You can also plant this fumewort under deciduous trees and shrubs where it will bloom beautifully and then go dormant as the leaves begin to unfurl.

Get to know these amazing little plants and take your shade garden to a whole new level. Enjoy!