The Well-Tended Perennial Garden The Essential Guide to Planting and Pruning Techniques, Third Edition

or yellow if given too much sun or if

allowed to dry out or, on the other

hand, if it stays too wet. In any of these

conditions, cut plants back to fresh

basal foliage. Basal foliage does not

need to be pruned for the winter and

may remain semi-evergreen. If plants

are not cut down to basal growth in the

summer, prune down after several

killing frosts for the winter if seeding

is not desired.

other maintenance Even though

no pests or diseases afflict this plant,

yellow corydalis receives mixed

reviews. Sometimes it almost reaches

weed status in the garden, reseeding

with great ambition. I unfortunately

have not had this experience. On the

contrary, Pseudofumaria lutea (for-

merly Corydalis lutea) has been very

short-lived in my own gardens and in

clients’ gardens, seeding only spar-

ingly if at all. Plants are difficult to

establish, but even if you make it past

this phase, losses occur later or over

the winter. Wet soils could be the main

culprit. It prefers well-draining, even

gravelly soils and slightly alkaline

conditions. It likes to grow among

rocks. Plants may be divided in the

spring or autumn.

Pulmonaria saccharata

lungwort

boraginaceae

Pink buds that open to blue flowers;

scratchy silver-spotted leaves

9–15 in. high; 18 in. wide

Part shade–full shade

Blooms March–April

Zones 3–8

pruning Old flowering stems of

Pulmonaria saccharata have a tendency

to fall to the outside of the plant after

flowering, leaving a clump of basal

leaves in the center. The old stems can

be grabbed by the handful and pruned

off at ground level, which also serves

to thin the plants. Such pruning

greatly enhances the plant’s appear-

ance and reduces the chance of

seeding. If the foliage declines or if

plants are infected with powdery

mildew in midsummer, plants should

be deadleafed or, if damage is severe,

cut completely down to the ground. Do

not compost diseased leaves. Keep

plants moist after cutting down. Lush

new growth will appear in about 2

weeks. Pulmonaria plants may remain

semi-evergreen through winter,

depending on the weather conditions,

planting site, and the particular

cultivar or species. If the foliage looks

good going into the winter, you may

want to leave the plants unpruned

Pseudofumaria lutea