Pseudofumaria Species, Fumewort, White Corydalis

I love Pseudofumaria alba, because it allways grows on areas in my garden where other perennials dont grow well. It blooms very very long...Read More here in Austria

Easy! Nice mounding habit, foliage looks good all season, and flowers repeatedly/continuously all season. Great here in zn 5 with a cou...Read Moreple hours of mid-afternoon sun and shade the rest of the day.

Attractive and easy to care for, this is the longest blooming perennial I know, from June straight through till frost. Except for the flo...Read Morewer color---cream rather than white, tinted slightly yellow---it's almost indistinguishable from Corydalis lutea. Both species emerge from dormancy in very early spring and do not share well with spring bulbs.

Needs good drainage. It can sometimes self-sow excessively, but the seedlings aren't difficult to control. Small seedlings transplant easily, larger plants are harder to move because they have a brittle taproot. If you HAVE to move a mature plant, bravely chop off all the topgrowth before lifting it---it will regrow the foliage as the roots reestablish. Individual plants are not long lived, but plants will be replaced by their own seedlings. I find this comparable to C. lutea in its vigor and spread, though I'd be interested to see if, in a mixed planting, one might eventually crowd out the other.

Blooms even in deep shade. Unattractive to deer and other varmints. Its tough constitution belies its delicate appearance. It doesn't like hot summers---a heat wave can bring flowering to a temporary halt, and plants don't do well in the southeastern US.

As with most corydalis, seed are ephemeral and must be planted fresh. I've started new plantings by chopping off a handful of topgrowth (with seedpods) in midseason and tossing it on the open ground where I want new plants. Growth is fast under good conditions, flowering begins in less than a season.

Dainty, delicate plant with long blooming season. White flowers, touched with yellow; ferny blue-green foliage. Does not go dormant in ...Read Moresummer. A short-lived perennial. Doesn't transplant well but seeds in readily, especially in rock crevices and along walls. Not as prolific as Corydalis lutea in my garden.