Corydalis Species, Bird in the Bush, Fumewort, Spring Fumewort

A mass planting of these little spring "bulbs" can make a considerable show in the landscape at a time of year when there's little else g...Read Moreoing on. They start to bloom when the squill are still going, and continue into early daffodil season. They're great for the woodland garden. I find them easy and reliable in ordinary well-drained garden soil.

The usual color is a humdrum mauve, but there are strains in white, pink, and a good bright red. 'Penza strain" and its selections are excellent.

The foliage goes dormant early and fast without making a mess.

As they go dormant, I generally find two hazelnut-sized tubers where there was one the year before. At that rate, a single tuber makes a thousand in ten years. I try to spread them every other spring as they go dormant.

Seed is ephemeral. I find a little self-sowing, but not to weedlike excess---I wish mine self-sowed more. Color strains often come true from seed if isolated from other colors.

Early bloomer, but very modest flowers. The whole plant vanish soon after the seeds are ripen (in late spring/very early summer). The mos...Read Moret important pollinator at my place seems to be little black ant (Lasius niger) and honey bee.

The wild ones I have seen around Helsinki and Moscow are a rather insipid mauve, but there are some wonderful coloured forms around Penza...Read More (400 km SE of Moscow). Ruksans sells these unsorted very cheaply and has also selected and bred on some tens of named forms at much higher prices.

We bought ten of his cheap ones a couple of years ago and they are doing very well in more or less ordinary border soil and conditions in St John's, Newfoundland - where they flower from late April to late May - yes a whole month! (But it doesn't warm up very fast here - the trees are still leafless on May22nd!) I might get another batch in the hope of getting a white one next time! Or maybe, now that I know they survive, I might even shell out for a selected one.

The tubers divide, but we haven't seen any signs of seed here - maybe we are missing the right insects.

A tuberous perennial from Europe.

Has small, 3 lobed divided, ferny, mid green leaves. Bears 2 lipped, tubular, spurred, p...Read Moreurple flowers held on a short flower stem, there can be up to 20 flowers per stem.

Flowers March - May

Likes a well drained soil in partial shade. The whole plant disappears by July to reappear again in February. Multiplys well when happy.

Very pretty little early flowering plant for a shady rock or woodland garden.