Fumewort
Corydalis solida ·
Dense clusters of small, tubular flowers in mauve, pink or brick red over ferny, grey-green leaves in early spring. The whole plant vanishes by early summer.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around fumewort
The planner designed this bed around fumewort when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why fumewort stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 4, tan
- 2 Woodland phlox 'Blue Moon' × 5, blue
- 3 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Siberian bugloss × 3, blue
- 7 Fumewort × 5, red
- 8 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only red. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 8 in it stands behind the taller moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in).
- 5 plants in one handful. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as a cottage garden: 21 of the 21 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 58% of the visual weight and the right half 42%. Woodland phlox 'Blue Moon' and moor grass 'Greenlee' finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where fumewort goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
A spring ephemeral that asks for nothing: it flowers, seeds and disappears before the hostas and ferns need the space.
- Early colour in woodland gardens
- Under deciduous shrubs
- Naturalising with other spring bulbs
What to plant with fumewort
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; bold leaves against its fine ones.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for four weeks, from mid April; bold leaves against its fine ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about fumewort
Does fumewort need sun or shade?
Fumewort grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does fumewort grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does fumewort flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should fumewort be planted?
4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many fumewort plants do I need?
At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 343 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Will fumewort spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Multiplies by offsets and seed and spreads through a bed over time. It is easy to lift where it is not wanted.
What can I plant to hide fumewort's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost': 16 in tall and 18 in wide, in flower late April to late May.
What does fumewort look like in winter?
Fumewort is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Corydalis
- Blue corydalis 'China Blue' Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; dense clusters; pink, purple, red
- Leaves
- Fine texture, summer-dormant; blue-green
- Shape
- Mounding, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.