(Pampas Grass, Splendid Star Pampas Grass)

One of the signature plants of the vast Argentine plains for which it is named, pampas grass is an immense, clumping, highly ornamental evergreen grass that is grown and naturalized throughout the milder climatic regions of the world. Although usually grown for its large fluffy seedheads on lofty stems, in the case of the dwarf cultivar 'Splendid Star' it is equally valued for the showy longitudinal yellow banding on the relatively compact, folded, fountaining leaves. From late summer into fall,...

(Curveleaf Fumewort, Fumewort, Rosthorn's Curveleaf Fumewort)

A beautiful but hard-to-please plant, this herbaceous perennial from high altitudes in northern Sichuan needs moderate summers to succeed. Growing from a cluster of fat storage roots, it forms clumps of ferny-leaved, calf-high stems topped by conical sprays of 6 to 18 fragrant sky-blue flowers. Flowering begins in late spring and continues until fall if conditions remain moist and cool. The blooms have two outfacing lips and a broad upcurved spur. Plants go dormant and may perish in summer heat and...

(Blue Heron Fumewort, Curveleaf Fumewort, Rosthorn's Curveleaf Fumewort)

A beautiful but hard-to-please plant, this herbaceous perennial from high altitudes in northern Sichuan needs moderate summers to succeed. Growing from a cluster of fat storage roots, it bears conical sprays of 6 to 18 fragrant sapphire-blue flowers above clumps of ferny gray-green leaves. The calf-high flower stems debut in late spring and continue until fall if conditions remain moist and cool. The blooms have two outfacing lips and a broad upcurved spur. Plants go dormant and may perish in summer...

(Blue Corydalis, Blue Fumewort)

Hauntingly beautiful in flower but often balky in cultivation, this hardy herbaceous perennial comes from high altitudes in central Sichuan. Growing from a network of scaly rhizomes, it forms clumps of ferny-leaved, calf-high stems topped by conical clusters of 10 to 20 pale- to dark-blue flowers. The two-lipped, long-spurred, fragrant flowers appear through much of spring. The green to blue-green leaves sometimes have red blotches. Plants go dormant in the heat of summer and push up new leaves in...

(Blue Corydalis, Blue Fumewort, Blue Panda Corydalis)

Hauntingly beautiful in flower but often balky in cultivation, Corydalis flexuosa is an herbaceous perennial from high altitudes in central Sichuan. The cultivar 'Blue Panda' has sky-blue flowers with curved spurs. 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 blue-green leaves are unmarked. Plants go dormant...

(Blue Corydalis, Blue Fumewort, China 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 'China Blue' has luminous greenish-blue to sky-blue flowers. 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 bright green leaves have a red central...

(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...