(Blue Fumewort, Golden Panda Fumewort)

Hauntingly beautiful in flower but often balky in cultivation, Corydalis flexuosa is an herbaceous perennial from high altitudes in central Sichuan. A mutation of 'Blue Panda,' 'Golden Panda' has sky-blue flowers and yellow-suffused foliage. Growing from a network of scaly rhizomes, it forms non-running clumps of ferny-leaved, calf-high stems topped by conical clusters of 10 to 20 flowers. The two-lipped, long-spurred, fragrant flowers appear through much of spring. The leaves emerge yellowish...

(Blue Fumewort)

Hauntingly beautiful in flower but often balky in cultivation, Corydalis flexuosa is an herbaceous perennial from high altitudes in central Sichuan. The cultivar 'Purple Leaf' has luminous purple-blue flowers and bronze-tinged leaves. Growing from a network of scaly rhizomes, it forms spreading clumps of ferny-leaved, calf-high stems topped by conical clusters of 10 to 20 flowers. The two-lipped, long-spurred, fragrant flowers appear through much of spring. The leaves have a red central...

(Yellow Fumewort)

Few plants are as long-blooming and carefree as this fleshy-rooted herbaceous perennial from the foothills of the southern Alps. Also known as Pseudofumaria lutea, it has been cultivated since the fifteenth century for its dense conical clusters of small sunny yellow flowers, which appear in abundance from spring to fall atop calf-high mounds of lacy pale green leaves. Each bloom has a gaping mouth and a tubular back-facing spur. The flowers give rise to small pod-like capsules containing...

(Solid-rooted Fumewort)

Eurasian in origin, this low herbaceous perennial has dainty leaves and showy pink, purple, red, or white flowers that light up the spring garden. The conical or cylindrical clusters of two-lipped, long-spurred flowers are borne atop one or two short stems that arise from a rounded underground tuber in early spring. Ferny, deeply cleft, compound leaves clothe the lower reaches of the stems. The flowers give rise to elongated capsules filled with small brown seeds that are distributed by ants. Plants...

(Fragrant Winterhazel, Smooth Winterhazel)

Brightening the early spring garden, smooth winterhazel produces hundreds of pendent, light yellow blossoms with exceptional fragrance from its bare brown branches. This wide-spreading, densely branched, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub is native to Korea and Japan.

The bare are branches bear a profusion of short, drooping, chain-like flower clusters (racemes) in early spring before the leaves appear. The smooth, rounded leaves that follow are satiny medium to dark green and slightly blue-green...

(Buttercup Winterhazel)

Brightening the early spring garden, buttercup winterhazel is a tidy deciduous shrub that produces hundreds of pendent, fragrant yellow blossoms on its bare brown branches. It has a pleasing rounded to lightly spreading habit making it well suited to more formal gardens and smaller garden spaces. It is slow-growing and originates from the slopes and forests of Taiwan and Japan.

The slender, zig-zagging branches bear a profusion of short, drooping clusters, comprised of around five yellow and...

(Fuzzy Chinese Winterhazel, Winterhazel)

The openly branched fuzzy Chinese winterhazel produces hundreds of pendent, lightly fragrant yellow blossoms on its bare branches in late winter and early spring. It is a large, rounded, spreading deciduous shrub native to the forests and mountains of China. Unlike many other Corylopsis, which are slow-growing, it grows fairly quickly.

A profusion of short, drooping, bright lemon yellow flower clusters are borne on its sandy brown, lightly fuzzy branches early in the growing season....

(Smooth Chinese Winterhazel, Winterhazel)

Illuminating the early to mid-spring garden, the openly branching winterhazel produces hundreds of pendent, lightly fragrant yellow blossoms from its smooth, bare branches. Variety calvescens is a large, rounded and wide-spreading deciduous shrub is native to China's mountains. Moderately vigorous when growing, it is typically a multistemmed plant.

Upon the sandy brown, smooth (not fuzzy) branches by mid-spring will be a profusion of short, drooping clusters with bright lemony yellow...

(Spike Winterhazel)

The picturesque branches of spike winterhazel produce hundreds of pendent, fragrant yellow blossoms in spring. This open, lightly spreading deciduous shrub is native to Japan. It is quite slow-growing but reaches a substantial size when mature.

A profusion of short, drooping clusters with six to twelve fragrant, yellow blossoms appear in spring before the leaves appear. Each bloom has conspicuous pollen-carrying anthers of reddish purple. Deep blue-green oval leaves with a purplish cast emerge...

(European Filbert, Filbert, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Hazelnut)

Prized for its delicious hard-shelled nuts, European filbert is a small tree to large shrub that originates from the whole of Europe as well as western Asia. Wild plants exist in open woods and hedgerows where they grow in a wide range of soil types. Hazelnuts have been in cultivation for thousands of years and many cultivars exist--most bred to produce high quality nut crops. The woody, oblong nuts ripen in mid to late autumn and are eaten by wildlife as well as people. The European filbert is the...