Corydalis solida

Hoy wrote:

I plant many cultivars of Corydalis solida in hope of establishing a population with different flower colors. They cross and self seed in my woodland.

I agree, I don't much care about named selected in a plant species that grows spontaneously and annually from seedlings, almost negating having named forms.  Just get enough plant & color diversity going, and the seedlings happen.  My blood red one, similar to George Baker, is now everywhere in the garden, unnamed and equally as good as C. solida 'George Baker'.  Getting some good purple ones too.  But I may consider getting some named forms of drastically different colors, to increase the "gene pool" and let the bees do the work :D

I have loads too but mostly rather dull shades.  Mine are just showing buds.

More colors!

Hoy wrote:

More colors!

Nice colors.  I like the last one in a unique raspberry color.

Wow! I have a friend that supposedly has George Baker, and hers isn't nearly as red.  That is just Excellent!

I have the dullish red/pinks and purple.  Still a welcome sight.  Anyone have bicolors?

Rick, most of mine are like yours but I did luck into pale pink, a 'raspberry' form and I have 'Transylvanica' which is a lighter shade of reddish-pink than George Baker.  They are all self-seeding so I might get some more interesting colours in the future.  Mine are well into bud now but just showing the first tint of colour in the buds.  We are suppose to have cool weather for the next week so things will slow down considerably, otherwise, the first solida would have been open in the next couple of days.

Mark, your red solida is the reddest I have seen! Now I have looked at all my red ones and not one is as red (if the color of the picture are true)! Some are seedlings of G. Baker.

Rick, I have one or two bicolors (1). And some white (2) hoping for crosses! But the white are slightly later.

Love that white with the pink tint!  Exquisite!

Here's what is supposed to be C. transylvanica (or C. solida ssp. solida, whatever we're calling it these days??) with pretty good colour.  The first photo looks very red (though not as red as Mark's seedling); the second photo is probably a little closer to the truth.

Just like mine!....except mine are only in bud.

Oh, Todd, if you are referring to my plants, they are nowhere near blooming yet!  (Photos are from last year.)

Boland wrote:

Love that white with the pink tint!  Exquisite!

I think it is one I bought from Janis Ruksans, can't find the name.
Lori, yours had a brilliant color too!

Lori, yours will still be open before mine...mine are gradually being covered by snow as I type.  :(

The first C. solida opened today..at least the bottom-most flowers!  If only we could get a day or two of heat, I'd have loads open.

Two warm days and the solida are finally blooming properly.  Most of mine are a muddy purple but here are a few of the better ones.  The nearly red is C. solida ssp. transylvanica

I like the dark colored - what do you call that color?

Todd wrote:

Two warm days and the solida are finally blooming properly.  Most of mine are a muddy purple but here are a few of the better ones.  The nearly red is C. solida ssp. transylvanica

Todd, nice colors!  Glad to hear that spring is finally starting in earnest for you.

I think I'd call the dark one raspberry-coloured ??

Todd wrote:

I think I'd call the dark one raspberry-coloured ??

Surely you mean the nearly red, solida tranylvanica is rasberry coloured, Todd??
I think Trond was asking about the deep purple one!
So I'd call that purple or dark mauve...... it's too late (after midnight here)to get out the RHS colour charts tonight!! ;D :D

Maggi

IMYoung wrote:

Todd wrote:

I think I'd call the dark one raspberry-coloured ??

Surely you mean the nearly red, solida tranylvanica is rasberry coloured, Todd??
I think Trond was asking about the deep purple one!
So I'd call that purple or dark mauve...... it's too late (after midnight here)to get out the RHS colour charts tonight!! ;D :D

Maggi

Yes, I meant the deep purple one! If you call that raspberry colored you certainly have strange raspberries! I have eaten red and yellow raspberries but not purple ones!

Raspberry color, as it gets applied to things other than raspberry fruits themselves, refers to a range of pinkish or purplish red colors, probably from the color imparted in deserts such as raspberry sorbet, and certainly pertains to colors in clothing fashions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_(color)

I like all three color forms Todd showed, the pink, purple, and red one (keeping it simple here).  I'd use the roll-the-eyes emoticon but it doesn't work on the NARGS forum. :P

Reddish-violet or wine might be the correct colour...mind you locals call it raspberry....guess its because homemade raspberry jam can be dark...maybe we Newfoundanders are all colour-blind!

Woodland conditions?
I moved some C. solida from a semi-shady area to raised bed exposed to full sun.  I think the are increasing (in size), but they look really unhappy about May 15-20 when we get a day in the upper 80s(F) and promptly disappear underground. 

So, full sun vs dappled shade any thoughts?

Thanks,
Charles Swanson Massachusetts USA
(for whatever reason, and whatever pollinates them, so far I get little or no seed set in full sun)

externmed wrote:

Woodland conditions?
I moved some C. solida from a semi-shady area to raised bed exposed to full sun.   I think the are increasing (in size), but they look really unhappy about May 15-20 when we get a day in the upper 80s(F) and promptly disappear underground.  

So, full sun vs dappled shade any thoughts?

Thanks,
Charles Swanson Massachusetts USA
(for whatever reason, and whatever pollinates them, so far I get little or no seed set in full sun)

Charles, if your Corydalis solida are flowering before  "they look really unhappy about May 15-20 when we get a day in the upper 80s(F) and promptly disappear underground"  then although the very warm weather may be accelerating their departure before they have a chance to set seed, it is certainly the case that these Corydalis do not hang around long in any climate.
It is one of their prime attractions as a plant for "high-rise" or "multi-storey " planting in our garden that theyis growinfg season IS so short, allowing them to be grown   in the same area of ground as  lots of other plants  with differing growth cycles/times to allow maximum use of space.  In the wild also, these are plants which emerge quickly in Spring, grow , flower, set seed and die back, all in a remarkably short time.

This is a feature often highlighted in Ian's Bulb Logs .... see http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb for all these from 2003.... there is an Index, too-  http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/index.pdf

Regards,
M

three of my corydalis in flower at the moment

Corydalis parnassica
Corydalis solida
Corydalis sp from Caucusus

Very nice plants, Tony! Do you prefere light colors? It is still some week till I can enjoy mine.....

Beautiful, everyone.

This species struggles for me here unfortunately.  I think it is the heat.  I think I'm going to have to try to set up a microclimate and get them going as I just love the ones I've seen in person.  Not been successful as yet, but I live in hope and keep trying them whenever I can find them to buy.  I live in hope.  ;D

Thanks for the inspirational pics..... that red (or whatever colour) form is beautiful in particular and i love anything in purple.  Thanks again. 8)

Hoy wrote:

Very nice plants, Tony! Do you prefere light colors? It is still some week till I can enjoy mine.....

No these are just the first in flower! I have some nice deep red ones and a lovely white which are just reaching their best. i do not like the straggly asian ones which a lot of people rave about and do not grow any

three more of my Corydalis solida. The white one from Mt Vermion in Greece I particularly like. They are all that colour and occur in thousands on the mountain.

Tony wrote:

three more of my Corydalis solida. The white one from Mt Vermion in Greece I particularly like. They are all that colour and occur in thousands on the mountain.

All are beauties Tony, although I'm with you on your favorite, the compact white one from Greece is outstanding.  What's so interesting about your profile images, is that we get to see the plant's full habit... nothing wrong with any of them, but I do love the compact habit and pristine white flowers of Mt. Vermion Greece one.  Under garden condition, it can be near impossible to capture these types of profile photos, so your most excellent photos are a great educational gauge of species and cultivars that might otherwise seem similar.  Thanks for feasting our eyes!  It should be 2-3 week before we see similar Corydalis shows here.

Tony wrote:

three more of my Corydalis solida. The white one from Mt Vermion in Greece I particularly like. They are all that colour and occur in thousands on the mountain.

Tony, have you actually been there?
Seems a place I would love to visit ;D

Mark

I actually plant the plants in the garden if I get them to increase but I find it is a problem to keep them distinct. They hybridise,the labels get lost and also lots die if the soil conditions do not suit them so I keep examples in pots of my collections.

Hoy they are my own collections, I have been to the Greek mainland probably fifteen times and to the North about seven times. The corydalis in particular are critical as to timing as seed is set and shed very quickly.
A picture of one that is a little pink in the wild. I hope you can see it is growing through the remains of dead bracken, this is just after the snow has melted. I think all the green leaves are scilla just coming through.

Thanks, Tony! Interesting!
Your last picture reminds me of when I was in North Norway (Troms) many years ago. In May as the snowcover receded I found a hillside peppered with emerging fronds of a fern and "millions" of the common Corydalis intermedia. It was a stunning sight :)
I had no camera with me :(

The white is lovely, Tony--must be a treat to see the hillsides covered with them :)

Wonderful Corydalis, Tony. Your 'Beth Evans' looks more red than I remember.

Here are some which were flowering last week:

Corydalis solida 'Elrond'
Corydalis solida 'George Baker'
and Corydalis solida 'Loth Lorien'

Here, Corydalis solida 'Beth Evans' is flowering now too!

Beautiful C. solida forms Wim, really like the color on 'Beth Evans'.

My plants wouldn't dare show their faces with the winter cold weather we're getting.  I do hope to add some more color forms, was sent a good lilac blue form last year. But I don't intend on maintaining named cultivars, I just want a carefree colorful free-for-all of Corydalis blooms in the spring garden; many hybrid seedlings are as pretty as expensive named forms.