It's Berry Exciting!

Bloom time is listed as spring and early summer, and don't we wish that's what it was! But my 'Berry Exciting' Corydalis is blooming now for the first time since it was planted in late spring. It was very, very small when I received it and I even wondered if it would survive at all, but slowly, it has increased in size with faithful watering throughout our dry summer, and now it's blooming.

I have another Corydalis (sempervirens - also called Rock Harlequin) that I purchased this year, too, and I'm underwhelmed with it, although I do love its greyish foliage. The blooms are yellow and pink and quite small and there's nothing really remarkable about it. As summer wore on, it declined. Not going dormant really - in fact, it produced seed pods - but not vigorous by any means. I have read that it self-seeds to the point of being a nuisance. We shall see. But this 'Berry Exciting' is gorgeous and only got better as time went on.

Its fern-like foliage is a unique shade of chartreuse with dark edges and it is a graceful addition to the part-shade or sunny garden. The deep plum flowers are a bonus, really. And guess what? They're fragrant. To me, they smell nearly identical to Lily-of-the-Valley, a scent I love.

Corydalis 'Berry Exciting' is supposed to be hardy to zone 5 (I'm in 5b), and I'm hoping this proves to be true, because this is one addition to the gardens that's a keeper.


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Photo of Corydalis sempervirens from Terrapin Gardens.