Epimedium 2013

[McDonough]

Let me kick off the Epimedium 2013 topic here in January, by highlighting some nursery sources.  Choice Epimedium are becoming more available, and prices are starting to come down (although depends on where you shop).  I have started the following list, please feel free to add links to additional nursery resources, indicating where the nursery is located.

Epimedium resources

Garden Vision Epimediums - Massachusetts, USA
"The Source" for extensive offering of accurately named Epimedium, including many of their own offerings by Epimedium guru Darrell Probst, now operated by Karen Perkins proprietor.  No true interactive website other than an old photo gallery at: http://home.earthlink.net/~darrellpro/
Contact Karen Perkins at epimediums@earthlink.net and request a catalog, instead of using the contact link on the photo gallery page. In May there vare two "open nursery weekends", not to be missed.

Free Spirit Nursery - British Columbia, Canada
Epimedium introductions, 'Atlas', 'Spring Hearts', 'Spring Chocolate'
http://www.freespiritnursery.ca/plantintros.html

Thimble Farms Nursery - British Columbia, Canada, they do ship to the US.
Excellent affordable list of Epimedium, including the new 'Atlas' from Free Spirit Nursury.
http://www.thimblefarms.com/perennials%20a-g.html

Lazy S'S Farm - Virginia, USA
Pretty good listing of Epimedium, some choice items and good pricing
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/E_files/E.htm

Collector's Nursery - Washington, USA
Very good listing of Epimedium, many of their own hybrids, fair prices.
http://www.collectorsnursery.com/cat03/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2&zenid=2850htesb451m8t6u6ibhvf755

Plant Delights Nursery - North Carolina, USA
Very good listing of Epimedium, many of their own hybrids, prices on the high side.
http://www.plantdelights.com/E/products/825/2/0

It should be noted, that on some of the nursery lists I have looked at, there are a few misnomers/mis-IDs, where the photo does not match the species or cultivar.  Be sure to research to make sure you're getting the right thing.

[gerrit]

Lazy S'S Farm - Virginia, USA
Pretty good listing of Epimedium, some choice items and good pricing
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/E_files/E.htm

Enthousiastic people there in Virginia. They like Epimediums. But their claim, 'Epimediums are popular in Europe' is hilarious. From whom do they get this information. On the contrary: Epimediums are not popular in Europe at all. Epimediums are used here as a groundcover under deciduous trees and shrubs in parks. And as one forget to cut down the old leaves, the plants look always if they are going to die.

Many magnificent cutivars at PDN! But oddly pictures.

[Tim Ingram]

They are pretty popular in the UK, but I suppose it is stiil amongst a relatively small number of plantspeople. Longacre Nursery always has good established plants in good variety, and in Edrom's catalogue I've just counted up 52 epimediums, a lot of them from Japan. In our relatively dry summer climate I've found many slow and difficult to establish (and in gardens prone to rabbits they are rapidly nibbled down), so that might put some gardeners off persevering with them. Last year was very wet and they have grown much better and I would very much like to try more, especially after seeing Mark's photos over the year.

[gerrit]

They are pretty popular in the UK, but I suppose it is stiil amongst a relatively small number of plantspeople. Longacre Nursery always has good established plants in good variety, and in Edrom's catalogue I've just counted up 52 epimediums, a lot of them from Japan.

Well, most garden lovers have some species or cultivars of Epimedium. In rock gardens or shade gardens however we should find dozens of Epimediums, but no way. For some years I visited the great gardens of Scotland, but Epimediums were hard to find.
Most nurseries have in their catalogue some standard size amount of E. Longacre Nursery f.i. 23 items. I am not impressed.
Edrom is the champion indeed. Every year new species,
The Epimedium thread on the SRGC is not very impressive

In my country, Holland some nurseries try to enlarge their assortment, but mostly you can not find what they promise in their catalogue.
Best nursery in Western Europe is Koen van Poucke from Belgium, let's say the only nursery with over a 100 species and cultivars available.
On the VRV/NRV forum, the meeting point of plant-lovers in the low countries, only 2 people post messages

[gerrit]

Oh, and I have forgotten to mention Danielle Monbaliu from 'Epimedium Nursery', Oostkamp Belgium. Please have a look on her website.

http://www.epimedium.be/

[Tim Ingram]

Someone mentioned a good nursery in France too? There probably need to be some good articles or book/booklets on the genus. Japanese gardeners tend to specialise in particular types of plants and produce wonderfully illustrated books on them - I have a few on hellebores and hepaticas. With all the new hybrids of epis something similar would be good. I prefer to think of them as part of that fascinating group of herbaceous Berberidaceae, all of which seem well worth growing. (I would love to grow Ranzania for example - a very rare plant in gardens here).

[McDonough]

The Epimedium thread on the SRGC is not very impressive

Gerrit, check out the Epimedium 2012 topic on SRGC, it was a busy year that year, 38 pages long:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4769.0

Oh, and I have forgotten to mention Danielle Monbaliu from 'Epimedium Nursery', Oostkamp Belgium. Please have a look on her website.
http://www.epimedium.be/

Hmmm, having some trouble on that website, language links for Nederlands and Francais work but English is not a live link. Using the French link, the plant list is 2011, it is 2012 using the nederlands link, no photos, just a list.  Photos link in the francais link is broken, photo link in nederlands link works, shows an alphabet list of links, but "E" for Epimedium is a broken link.  I'm afraid, not much to see there :-(

In the big horticultural scheme of things, Epimediums are not at all widely grown here in the US either, but they're growing in popularity, I think mostly because the gardening public, who believe nothing grows in shade, is hearing the marketing that these plants can be grown in dry shade.  The other reason why Epimediums are not as grown as widespread as, lets say, Hemerocallis (daylilies), is because they are slower to grow and propagate, and there are very few large scale growers of Epimedium.  Price has lots to do with it too, and these plants are still very expensive to purchase.

So far, have two Epimedium orders sent out, planning on placing at least two more orders, all very exciting, can't wait for spring.

@Tim, I too would love to find Ranzania, its been on my list for a long time.

[McDonough]

For those of you on Facebook, there is an active Epimedium Group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/125709130884970/

[Hoy]

Epimediums have at least one fan in Norway too (guess who!) but it is hard to find domestic nurseries with more than 2 species 

[gerrit]

Gerrit, check out the Epimedium 2012 topic on SRGC, it was a busy year that year, 38 pages long:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4769.0

Mark: SRGC topic 2010: 36 pages
                           2011: 2 pages
                           2012: 3 pages

2010 was a busy and interesting year indeed.

[McDonough]

Just got my NARGS Seed exchange order.  This year I noticed seed of Epimedium ecalcaratum, about 10 dried seed.  I ordered this as an experiment, with the belief allowing the seed to dry out this way kills the seed.  If I get any germination, I'll report back.

[gerrit]

Hmmm, having some trouble on that website, language links for Nederlands and Francais work but English is not a live link. Using the French link, the plant list is 2011, it is 2012 using the nederlands link, no photos, just a list.  Photos link in the francais link is broken, photo link in nederlands link works, shows an alphabet list of links, but "E" for Epimedium is a broken link.  I'm afraid, not much to see there :-(

Her website is not remarkable, but her Epimedium list is a good one. 55 items. I have to wait for her 2013 list.

[Afloden]

Koen does offer a superb selection of Epimedium and he knows Ogisu so he gets some of the best (he sells one of the nicest of the alternate leaved Polygonatum, P. yunnanense)! Of all the places to run into someone, I ran into him in Vietnam in 2011 while in Sapa and spent a few days in the field with him and Anne! Fabulous people.

I think the number one issue with Epimedium is that they are pricey for the newer introductions. My preference is for species more than hybrids and new introductions of species selections has not increased as much as the numerous hybrids showing up.

 Aaron

[gerrit]

                                My preference is for species more than hybrids and new introductions of species selections has not increased as much as the numerous hybrids showing up.

 Aaron

Hi Aaron, please can you tell why?

[McDonough]

Her website is not remarkable, but her Epimedium list is a good one. 55 items. I have to wait for her 2013 list.

I looked at both the 2011 & 2012 lists, there are some good items on there, and a good long list as you say.  A few are unfamiliar to me, such as the one listed as 'Jean O'Neill'; I looked it up and it's a lovely plant.
http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/epimedium/epimediumjeanoneill/species.html

And the list does contain lots of Og. (Ogisu) collections, which is special.

Aaron, funny how lives intersect sometimes, and one runs into people in the most unlikely places. And I agree, prices for Epimedium is very high, although now when shopping around, I see some mail order nurseries with plant prices at about $15-$18 a plant versus $28-$35, that helps.  There are many Epimedium species still missing from my collection, because some of the rare species will go for astronomical cost; I'd rather get three $18-$22 dollar epimedium varieties as opposed to one for $60 or $80.  Grow them (hybrids) from seed, and they cost only pennies each