2025 Corydalis flavula - progress reports and sowing information

I've decided to go ahead and do some species specific pages- my plan is to update pages like this with progress reports and what I did with each species for germination.

Corydalis flavula is a winter annual. It's an annual, but it's lifecycle is not what we are used to with annuals. It germinates in summer, overwinters to bloom in spring and then dies off after flowering and hopefully setting seed. Most of us are accustomed to the warmer season annuals that sprout when soils warm and then their season ends with fall frosts. 

Corydalis flavula is also called Yellow Fumewort. The common name just amuses me- it's like someone tried to figure out the least appealing thing they could name something and settled on a name the evoked the idea of something stinking and covered in warts. Maybe it didn't have that connotation originally, but I know to modern me that's what the name conjures up. 

I selected this plant for my garden because it appeared on a list of recommended hummingbird plants for Michigan. As a spring bloomer, it's an important plant that blooms right about the time that hummingbirds are migrating north. The list I found is located here:

http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/

Some of the plants listed are fairly obscure and nearly impossible to find in trade, but I really appreciate that the list is by time of bloom to let someone try to build a garden that provides full coverage for the hummingbird season.

https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Corydalis

Michigan has two native species of Corydalis, aurea and flavula. Unfortunately I could not find aurea seeds available anywhere. I will have to search again for those, though I believe I've seen them in bloom not too far away- so maybe I will have to get the timing right and gather a seed pod during the summer.

https://hayefield.com/product/corydalis-flavula-yellow-fumewort/

I surface sowed these seeds on December 27th in a 3" pot. This was not the correct time of year to sow these. They should have been direct sowed in late June to August, but, I only found this seller in December and decided to try anyways. The soil I used was Master Garden organic premium seed starting soil with coco coir available at Menards. That's such a long name, but, wanted to make sure it was clear. My local Menards only carries that one seed starting soil this time of year, but perhaps other areas have more where it could be confusing. They are approximately 12" below a basic LED strip grow light- room temperature is 62 degrees with no supplementary heat.

On January 11th, I have my first germination. It is just one and not even quite out of the ground fully yet. I will update with how many of the 15 seeds end up emerging. My plan is to keep the pot inside until at least January 27th and then move some outside. Though, if the seedlings look healthy, I may keep them inside a bit longer. They do need to experience winter- but, tempted to move them out in later February and then probably I will move them into the garage for any days below about 15 degrees. I do think it's really interesting that they and the Collinsia verna I planted on the same day have both had their first germination on the same day. Though, it would make sense that winter annuals would share a similar germination time frame- I still didn't expect first emergence on the same day. I don't see any way the seeds could have been contaminated with each other, they are in completely separate pots and trays. Fortunately, their foliage is very different from each other- so I will know shortly if I have some odd swapping of seeds.

2025 Collinsia verna - progress reports and sowing information

I've decided to go ahead and do some species specific pages- my plan is to update pages like this with progress reports and what I did with each species for germination.

Collinsia verna is a really unique native plant. It's an annual, but it's lifecycle is not what we are used to with annuals. This one is a winter annual, it germinates in late summer or fall, overwinters to bloom in spring and then dies off after flowering and hopefully setting seed. Most of us are accustomed to the warmer season annuals that sprout when soils warm and then their season ends with fall frosts. 

A beautiful blue and white flowering plant, Collinsia verna is native to portions of the midwest and northeast. Michigan has two native Collinsia species,you can see their native range and that of other Collinsia here:

https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Collinsia

I acquired my seeds here: https://hayefield.com/product/collinsia-verna-blue-eyed-mary/

I surface sowed these seeds on December 27th. This was not the correct time of year to sow these. They should have been direct sowed in late June to August, but, I only found this seller in December and decided to try anyways. The soil I used was Master Garden organic premium seed starting soil with coco coir available at Menards. That's such a long name, but, wanted to make sure it was clear. My local Menards only carries that one seed starting soil this time of year, but perhaps other areas have more where it could be confusing. They are approximately 12" below a basic LED strip grow light- room temperature is 62 degrees with no supplementary heat.

On January 11th, I have my first germination. It is just one and not even quite out of the ground fully yet. I will update with how many of the 20 seeds end up emerging. My plan is to keep the pot inside until at least January 27th and then move some outside. Nancy from Hayefield did a similar experiment in 2024 and only kept them inside for a month and had some flower in the spring, though she planted in February and moved them out in March. I'm hoping to have enough germination to try a few different move out dates to see what works best and hopefully guarantee I have at least some seeds to replant next summer. It is tempting to keep most indoors until March simply because temperatures are so much warmer than January or February here in zone 5A Northern Michigan.

The final list for natives - 2026 seed plantings

I believe I am finally completely done with seed shopping natives for the 2026 season. I've spent more time than I care to admit jumping from planting instructions to BONAP maps to seed sellers and Facebook pages. 

For those who like lists, here is where I'm at so far. I received a gift card at work which I used for one more set of native seeds- so many of these are not yet planted because they won't arrive until the 6th of January. I haven't planted anymore full bins- because I was holding out for those January sales that always happen on sterilite bins. This strategy is going to pay off very well as the bins I like to use are marked down to $7 over at Menards- half what I pay for them at Meijer. 

Of the 159 below, 98 varieties are fully planted. 42 packs haven't arrived yet. The remaining 19 packs are just waiting on me to pick up another couple bins this weekend. 

I'm sure others will be added, I forgot to add Quercus prinoides to this list for example- but those are already planted in tree pots overwintering in the garage. I'm also planning to hunt down some dwarf native tree cultivars- but still trying to hunt down good information on which ones provide the most benefit to wildlife despite their smaller size.

Once I get all the natives in the ground, I have a bunch of native cultivars to plant and then some silly frivolous nonnative things as well as my veggie garden. My goal is to get to the point where I have about 70% natives and most of the lawn is gone. I'll still have roses, irises and peonies and similar noninvasive decorative plants- but with significantly more native companion plants. 

Scientific Name Common Name Remaining Seeds

1. Campanula americana American Bellflower 0 - all planted
2. Agastache foeniculum Anise Hyssop 0 - all planted
3. Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic Aster 0 - all planted
4. Gaillardia aristata Blanketflower 0 - all planted
5. Verbena hastata Blue Vervain 0 - all planted
6. Baptisia australis Blue Wild Indigo 0 - all planted
7. Eupatorium perfoliatum Boneset 0 - all planted
8. Gentiana andrewsii Bottle Gentian 0 - all planted
9. Astragalus canadensis Canada Milk Vetch 0 - all planted
10. Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower 0 - all planted
11. Viola sororia Common Blue Violet 0 - all planted
12. Vernonia fasciculata Common Ironweed 1 pack, 1 planted
13. Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed 100
14. Gentiana flavida Cream Gentian 0 - all planted
15. Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's Root 0 - all planted
16. Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant 0 - all planted
17. Liatris punctata Dotted Blazing Star 0 - all planted
18. Monarda punctata Dotted Mint 0 - all planted
19. Helianthus mollis Downy Sunflower 0 - all planted
20. Blephilia ciliata Downy Wood Mint 0 - all planted
21. Heliopsis helianthoides Early Sunflower 0 - all planted
22. Oenothera - unknown Evening Primrose 100
23. Brickellia eupatorioides False Boneset 0 - all planted
24. Isopyrum biternatum False Rue Anemone 0 - all planted
25. Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardtongue 0 - all planted
26. Gentianopsis crinita Fringed Gentian 0 - all planted
27. Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders 0 - all planted
28. Angelica atropurpurea Great Angelica 0 - all planted
29. Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia 0 - all planted
30. Asclepias viridiflora Green Comet Milkweed 0 - all planted
31. Asclepias viridis Green Spider Milkweed 0 - all planted
32. Penstemon hirsutus Hairy Beardtongue 0 - all planted
33. Blephilia hirsuta Hairy Wood Mint 0 - all planted
34. Castilleja coccinea Indian Paintbrush 0 - all planted
35. Ipomea pandurata Ipomea pandurata 0 - all planted
36. Eutrochium maculatum Joe Pye Weed 0 - all planted
37. Coreopsis lanceolata Lanceleaf Coreopsis 0 - all planted
38. Penstemon grandiflorus Large Flowered Beardtongue 0 - all planted
39. Amorpha canescens Lead Plant 0 - all planted
40. Helianthus maximiliani Maximilian's Sunflower 0 - all planted
41. Lilium michiganense Michigan Lily 0 - all planted
42. Oenothera macrocarpa Missouri Evening Primrose unopened
43. Mimulus ringens Monkey Flower 0 - all planted
44. Pycnanthemum virginianum Mountain Mint 0 - all planted
45. Ceanothus americanus New Jersey Tea 0 - all planted
46. Allium cernuum Nodding Onion 0 - all planted
47. Physostegia virginiana Obedient Plant 0 - all planted
48. Arnoglossum atriplicifolium Pale Indian Plantain 0 - all planted
49. Chamaecrista fasciculata Partridge Pea 0 - all planted
50. Asclepias exaltata Poke Milkweed 0 - all planted
51. Coreopsis palmata Prairie Coreopsis 0 - all planted
52. Asclepias sullivantii Prairie Milkweed 0 - all planted
53. Antennaria neglecta Prairie Pussytoes 0 - all planted
54. Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis Purple Clematis 10
55. Agastache scrophulariifolia Purple Giant Hyssop 0 - all planted
56. Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master 0 - all planted
57. Actaea rubra Red Baneberry 0 - all planted
58. Silene regia Royal Catchfly 0 - all planted
59. Chamaecrista nictitans Sensitive Pea 0 - all planted
60. Asclepias speciosa Showy Milkweed 0 - all planted
61. Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Sky Blue Aster 0 - all planted
62. Lespedeza virginica Slender Bush Clover 0 - all planted
63. Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Slender Mountain Mint 0 - all planted
64. Symphyotrichum laeve Smooth Blue Aster 0 - all planted
65. Claytonia virginica Spring Beauty 0 - all planted
66. Asclepias Incarnata Swamp Milkweed 100
67. Delphinium exaltatum Tall Larkspur 0 - all planted
68. Oligoneuron album Upland White Goldenrod 0 - all planted
69. Clematis virginiana Virgins Bower 0 - all planted
70. Artemisia ludoviciana White Sage 0 - all planted
71. Chelone glabra White Turtlehead 0 - all planted
72. Asclepias verticillata Whorled Milkweed unopened - 2 packs
73. Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot 0 - all planted
74. Allium canadense Wild Garlic unopened
75. Camassia scilloides Wild Hyacinth unopened
76. Phaseolus polystachios Wild Kidney Bean 5
77. Allium tricoccum Wild Leek 0 - all planted
78. Lupinus perennis Wild Lupine 0 - all planted
79. Ruellia humilis Wild Petunia 0 - all planted
80. Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine 0 - all planted
81. Senna hebecarpa Wild Senna 0 - all planted
82. Agastache nepetoides Yellow Giant Hyssop 1 pack, 1 planted
83. Caltha palustris Marsh Marigold 0 - all planted
84. Juncus tenuis Path Rush 0 - all planted
85. Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush 0 - all planted
86. Bouteloua curtipendula Side-Oats Grama 0 - all planted
87. Callirhoe involucrata Purple Poppy Mallow 0 - all planted
88. Bouteloua gracillis Blue Grama 0 - all planted
89. Symphyotrichum drummondii Drummonds Aster 0 - all planted
90. Carex vulpinoidea Brown Fox Sedge 0 - all planted
91. Koeleria macrantha June Grass 0 - all planted
92. Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem 0 - all planted
93. Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie Dropseed 0 - all planted
94. Eragrostis spectabilis Purple Love Grass 0 - all planted
95. Lespedeza virginica Slender Bush Clover 0 - all planted
96. Polemonium reptans Jacob's Ladder 0 - all planted
97. Sambucus canadensis Elderberry 0 - all planted
98. Corydalis flavula Yellow Fumewort 0 - all planted
99. Capnoides sempervirens Rock Harlequin 20 Seeds
100. Lindera benzoin Spicebush 10 Seeds
101. Ptelea trifoliata ex ‘Aurea’ Wafer Ash 10 Seeds
102. Oenothera fruticosa Narrowleaf Sundrops 20 Seeds
103. Hordeum jubatum Squirreltail Grass 12 Seeds
104. Adlumia fungosa Allegheny Vine 15 Seeds
105. Collinsia verna Blue-Eyed Mary 0 - all planted
106. Polanisia dodecandra Redwhisker Clammyweed 20 Seeds
107. Strophostyles helvola Amberique Bean 15 Seeds
108. Silene virginica Fire Pink 15 Seeds
109. Liatris spicata Dense Blazing Star 0 - all planted
110. Asclepias incarnata Rose Milkweed 0 - all planted
111. Blephilia hirsuta Hairy Wood Mint 0 - all planted
112. Hibiscus laevis Rose Mallow 0 - all planted
113. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England Aster 0 - all planted
114. Vernonia missurica Missouri Ironweed 0 - all planted
115. Geum triflorum Prairie Smoke 0 - all planted
116. Chelone obliqua Pink Turtlehead 0 - all planted
117. Filipendula rubra Queen of the Prairie 0 - all planted
118. Pedicularis canadensis Wood Betony unopened
119. Baptisia bracteata Cream Wild Indigo unopened
120. Anthoxanthum hirtum Sweet Grass unopened
121. Baptisia alba White Wild Indigo unopened
122. Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-Pulpit unopened
123. Polygonatum biflorum Solomon's Seal unopened
124. Asarum canadense Wild Ginger unopened
125. Dicentra cucullaria Dutchman's Breeches unopened
126. Mertensia virginica Virginia Bluebells unopened
127. Aquilegia canadensis Columbine unopened
128. Penstemon pallidus Pale Beardtongue unopened
129. Corydalis sempervirens Pale Corydalis unopened
130. Agalinis tenuifolia Slender False Foxglove unopened
131. Agalinis purpurea Purple False Foxglove unopened
132. Aureolaria flava Smooth Yellow False Foxglove unopened
133. Pedicularis lanceolata Marsh Betony unopened
134. Stachys tenuifolia Smooth Hedgenettle unopened
135. Teucrium canadense Germander unopened
136. Verbena stricta Hoary Vervain unopened
137. Cirsium muticum Swamp Thistle unopened
138. Doellingeria umbellata Flat-topped Aster unopened
139. Anaphalis margaritacea Pearly Everlasting unopened
140. Elymus hystrix Bottlebrush Grass unopened
141. Leersia oryzoides Rice Cut Grass unopened
142. Silene nivea Snowy Campion unopened
143. Allium stellatum Prairie Onion unopened
144. Amsonia tabernaemontana Eastern Bluestar unopened
145. Lilium philadelphicum Prairie Lily unopened
146. Chamaenerion angustifolium Fireweed unopened
147. Epilobium glandulosum Northern Willow Herb unopened
148. Desmodium canadense Showy Tick Trefoil unopened
149. Silene stellata Starry Campion unopened
150. Dioscorea villosa Wild Yam unopened
151. Viburnum trilobum American Cranberrybush unopened
152. Solidago caesia Blue-stemmed Goldenrod unopened
153. Solidago juncea Early Goldenrod unopened
154. Solidago nemoralis Old Field Goldenrod unopened
155. Solidago speciosa Showy Goldenrod unopened
156. Mirabilis nyctaginea Wild Four O'Clock unopened
157. Hydrophyllum virginianum Virginia Waterleaf unopened
158. Trillium cernuum Nodding Trillium unopened
159. Zizia aptera Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders unopened

Winter Sowing - native bin 3

Happy first day of winter! Now my winter sowing is actually winter sowing instead of someone disobeying the parameters. 

To be fair, it looks like this outside-

Finished potting my third bin of natives- these are mostly 4" pots with some 3" pots for better fit. Like the first two bins, I also made a second pot of each variety that will just sit out in the open in the weather rather than in any other container. 

Like the last couple bins, these were also mostly sourced from Fellabees. I think I'll have one more bin of Fellabees seeds and then I'll be into my prairie moon seeds and other seed sources.

List is below:

1. Helianthus mollis Downy Sunflower

2. Brickellia eupatorioides False Boneset

3. Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardtongue

4. Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders

5. Asclepias viridiflora Green Comet Milkweed

6. Blephilia hirsuta Hairy Wood Mint

7. Coreopsis lanceolata Lanceleaf Coreopsis

8. Penstemon grandiflorus Large Flowered Beardtongue

9. Helianthus maximiliani Maximilian's Sunflower

10. Allium cernuum Nodding Onion

11. Chamaecrista fasciculata Partridge Pea

12. Asclepias exaltata Poke Milkweed

13. Asclepias sullivantii Prairie Milkweed

14. Antennaria neglecta Prairie Pussytoes

15. Agastache scrophulariifolia Purple Giant Hyssop

16. Silene regia Royal Catchfly

17. Chamaecrista nictitans Sensitive Pea

18. Lespedeza virginica Slender Bush Clover

19. Oligoneuron album Upland White Goldenrod

20. Clematis virginiana Virgins Bower

Winter Sowing - Native Bin 2

 Well, now I'm out of bins and dirt- but hopefully that will be remedied this weekend should the weather choose to cooperate. Finished potting my second bin of natives- these are mostly 4" pots with some 3" pots for better fit. Like the first bin, I also made a second pot of each variety that will just sit out in the open in the weather rather than in any other container. 

Today's plantings:

Campanula americana-American Bellflower 

Agastache foeniculum-Anise Hyssop 

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium-Aromatic Aster 

Gaillardia aristata-Blanketflower 

Verbena hastata-Blue Vervain 

Baptisia australis-Blue Wild Indigo 

Astragalus canadensis-Canada Milk Vetch 

Lobelia cardinalis-Cardinal Flower 

Gentiana flavida-Cream Gentian 

Veronicastrum virginicum-Culver's Root 

Silphium perfoliatum-Cup Plant 

Monarda punctata-Dotted Mint 

Blephilia ciliata-Downy Wood Mint 

Gentianopsis crinita-Fringed Gentian 

Lobelia siphilitica-Great Blue Lobelia 

Penstemon hirsutus-Hairy Beardtongue 

Mimulus ringens-Monkey Flower 

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium-Slender Mountain Mint 

Artemisia ludoviciana-White Sage 

Agastache nepetoides-Yellow Giant Hyssop 

I feel like this is a good mix of some allegedly easy varieties and some challenging ones- but, I really only need a couple to survive, so hopefully I end up with at least a few of each. 

First batch of 'winter sowing'- native bin 1

It's about a week before the official start of winter, so already breaking the first rule of winter sowing by starting now- but my plans are a bit ambitious and the snow is here to stay- so I'm going to break the rules a bit. 

               

I could not source enough gallon jugs- still trying, but had to get started with what I could find. I bought a couple Sterilite 60 Qt Hinge Lid Box to try them out as a possibility. I probably should have got a couple in the next size down as well because this bin is taller than the next size, but not really that much bigger. It does work well though, it holds around 20 of my 3" pots and in another bit of pleasantness, the 8 qt bag of seed starting mix from Menards fills those 20 pots exactly. How tidy! There's a smidge of inconvenient overlap in the pots, a couple edges overlap a bit, to fit 20 - but, 20 pots and a whole bag of seed starting mix is some nice round math to work with. 

For prepping the bin, I opted to make some additional departures from the winter sowing method. With the traditional method, you cut large holes in the top to let rain and snow enter and you drill some holes in the bottom for drainage. I've decided that I want to keep these stacked on my patio for easy monitoring which means that they are partially covered and won't get enough snow. I instead made several pencil width ventilation holes around all 4 sides- this way not too much heat builds up in the sun, but, also the bins dry out less quickly. I did not put any drainage holes because I will be controlling the water and a lot of these seeds are surface sown and easily displaced by watering, so this way I can bottom water the seedlings instead. 

To hedge my bets, I'm also just planting outside in 3" pots within 1020 drain trays on a wire shelf. I planted 20 seed packets tonight, half the seeds in a bin, half the seeds in a pot that will just be outside in the weather. They are definitely densely planted because they are native seeds and germination can be a bit spotty with those to begin with. 

Today's plantings were the following:

The offseason still feels pretty busy

Well- it was 5 degrees for the low today and snow, so no going out for a drive today. The off season feels just as busy as the garden season as a bunch of tasks I didn't finish during the season continue in the off season. I've continued with winter cuttings out in the rose garden even though those aren't the most successful cuttings. 

However, the facts are that I was too busy during spring/summer/fall to get to this, so it's now or not at all. Additionally, I have empty plant shelving inside this time of year because I won't start my tomatoes and peppers until the first week in March. By the first week in March, most of these will have decided whether they are going to rot or root and I imagine less than half will root because it's the wrong season for cuttings. Usually you wouldn't do any pruning this time of year- however, the deer are pruning my roses either way and winter is killing back a lot of canes. Might as well try cuttings as these canes won't be here for spring between the deer and winter.

For the season so far, I've taken 103 rose cuttings from 48 varieties. I have 174 more varieities I would like to take cuttings from- we'll see though. Today's low will mean I have less viable canes to work with. There have already been 7 that are either eaten too low by deer or killed back by winter where there was no viable cane material to take a cutting of- but, hopefully better luck in the remainder. 

Now, something that has been surprising is the success rate with the chrysanthemums. Like the roses, I was too late taking cuttings of the chrysanthemums and was told that cuttings from this time of year simply wouldn't take because they weren't in active growth. Unfortunately, I needed to gamble it anyways because I'm in zone 5a and even the hardy chrysanthemums are barely hardy here. I watched the leaves wilt and the sticks turn brown and dry. I was going to toss them, but, I went to pull one and met resistance. At first, I thought it was just buried leaves, I thought I had stripped the leaves, but, maybe I forgot some. So, I tugged another, again, resistance. Went ahead and grabbed the cup with the most cuttings and pulled one up and it had 1" long roots. How about that, pretty cool. 

Anyhow, so I've got these wilted leaves, brown sticks but they have roots. I wasn't sure whether they would grow new leaves on the existing, seemingly dead stalks or if they would send new growth from the base. Well, got my answer today. 

Tadaa!

The answer is, the new growth comes from the base. I'm not sure how long I have to wait before I can trim back all the really dead sticks above ground, but, I guess I will wait until they all have nice growth at ground level and then trim- just in case they are deriving some benefit from those leaves/stalks which seem completely gone to me.

In other news, the veggie seed plan is completed, very happy about that, I have all my start dates and methods plotted out- whether they are being winter sowed in January or started on a heat mat in March or direct sowed in May - it's all written out for easy reference in my spreadsheet. 

I need to tackle the native seed list next because some of those have really unusual requirements, already ran into a couple that need to be double stratified, so I need to hurry and find the rest of those in my list so I still have time to start them this year.