Corydalis Craigton Blue

Corydalis 'Craigton Blue', also known as Hybrid Corydalis 'Craigton Blue', is a new cultivar from Scotland. It is a perennial plant with beautiful finely-cut bright green foliage, from which short spikes of tubular flowers emerge in late spring and early summer, with an indescribable, almost electric blue colour. Relatively easy to grow, it will brighten up shaded and cool areas of the garden. The plant tends to go dormant in summer and flowers again in autumn in warmer climates.

The Hybrid Corydalis 'Craigton Blue' belongs to the Fumariaceae family. It is a chance hybrid that appeared in Ian Young's garden in Aberdeen. It is the happy result of cross-breeding between Corydalis elata and Corydalis flexuosa. Its first parent is native to the Sichuan province in southwest China, and the second parent comes from the humid forests of western China. This Corydalis has a moderately fast growth rate and can spread up to 30 cm (12in) in all directions within two years. It forms a compact and dense shrub and can spread as a ground cover thanks to its stolons. The foliage, carried by reddish stems, is deciduous and has a very light and vibrant green colour, slightly acidic. Finely cut, it resembles the foliage of bleeding hearts, ferns, or chervil. The flowering period, longer than its parents starts in May-June and ends around July. The flowers, resembling small tubes about 25 mm (1in) long, have a long spur. Each flower presents areas that range from white to the deepest blue. This subtle gradation, painted on the translucent petals, gives the flowering its unique changing azure colour.

Plant Hybrid Corydalis 'Craigton Blue' in deep, light, humus-rich soil that is always moist and neutral to acidic. It thrives in shade or partial shade, under trees or bushes, where it can tolerate root competition. Clean the plant in spring to remove dead foliage.

Corydalis 'Craigton Blue' is primarily a shade or partial shade plant that will fully express its potential in woodland areas, slowly forming large colonies. It can be paired with other perennials that withstand root competition from trees or bushes. Pair it with its cousin, Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), hardy fuchsias, creeping bugleweed with purple flowers, Japanese anemones, Balkan Digitalis, Tricyrtis, and a carpet of periwinkles, along with 'Ivory Heart' Bleeding Heart.