Epimedium 2013

[gerrit]

Today a duet. Two Epimediums are intertwined in a ballet of elfs.

Epimedium acuminatum the purple one and
Epimedium ilicifolium. the yellow.

[McDonough]

Today a duet. Two Epimediums are intertwined in a ballet of elfs.

Epimedium acuminatum the purple one and
Epimedium ilicifolium. the yellow.

Collect seeds and sow, hold flats until spring 2014...HYBRIDS!

[McDonough]

Mark, I think you underrate the influence of the sun. You are too much focused on your own situation in New England. And Maggi, sorry, but the Scotch are not familiar with the product 'sun'.
Let me explain a common situation in Western Europe, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Northern France, zone 7b, maritime climate. We are in the middle of June. After a Long period of cool weather, the wind is in from Africa, last night I couldn't sleep, Joni Mitchell sings. Temperatures raise suddenly to 30-33 degrees C. The sun shines from 4 am until 10 pm. The inclination is almost vertical. The purple coloured Acer palmatum dissectum burns within a few hours. The other herbaceous plants bow their heads, but will survive. Not the Epimediums. So a spot in the shade is an obligation.

I don't think I underrate the influence of the sun. But you are correct in that I'm focused on New England, of course because that's where I live and garden, so the notes I offer will have the most meaning for people in the same general area, or areas that might have some equivalency.  We've had a very long and cool spring too, but I imagine that it'll be soon enough we'll get the full affront of HEAT, with our notorious heat-wave days that can last for weeks with temps reaching near 98-100 F (~37 C). 

I did have the opportunity to garden in a drastically different climate, 3000 miles away in the Pacific Northwest, near Seattle Washington. I was struck by how different the climate was, 3 full USDA zones milder, yet plants were very much "softened" by the mild climate and abundant rain, then when a day that came along in summer that reached 84 F (29 C), an average day in New England, in this Seattle garden everything melted, drooped, and burned.  A total eye-opener.  So I do understand the difference.

My main point is, Epimediums realize their full potential in terms of best growth, best flowering and foliage coloration, with sufficient light. They will survive, prosper, and flower well enough, even in deep shade... amazing plants.

[Toole]

Tim/Mark/Gerrit.
Sorry for the delay --I'm just back from a long trip into Central Otago staying overnight after giving a presentation to a local garden group in Wanaka.
Decided i didn't have room in the cab of the truck for all my camera gear as well as the projector and laptop and plants etc etc .
Of course what happens ,first stop was about an hour up the road at a friends place where i saw for the first time a stunning clump of Narcissus viridiflorus growing and flowering in a sand bed...damn it, would have loved to have been able to take a pic.....   However it gives me confidence that if i ever manage to obtain a bulb I might be able to grow it down here at this end of the Island.Seed attempts over the years have been a complete failure.

I'll keep you briefed on the success or otherwise of the small E.versicolor rhizome over winter and beyond --it is now reasonably anchored in to the soil and obviously growing so all systems are go for the time being ....  

[quote author=gerrit link=topic=1254.msg23530#msg23530 date=1369241083

Hi Dave.

Am I right, when I say it is difficult to get Epimediums in New Zealand? Due to several restrictions?
In that case, requests fot fresh seeds is the only option.

Gerrit

[/quote]

Hello Gerrit

In very very simple terms importation into NZ is possible for plants on our Biosecurity list where they are approved for entry.  (There are certain conditions to be meet and they can varying according to each Genera), however the administration costs with ,risk assessments, quarantine, pre/inspections overseas etc etc make it so prohibitive.

I had a quick look at the Epis on the list and see there are about 20 named.

Thankfully seeds of those on the list are allowed in if they are clean and packets fully labelled.

So yip fresh seed is the way to go that's for sure.

Cheers Dave.    

[gerrit]

Well Dave, all I can say, feel free contacting me. I'll be glad helping.

Gerrit.

[gerrit]

A sunbeam suddenly hit a bud of Epimedium wushanense 'Caramel', who is beginning to bloom.


2 pictures of Epimedium grandiflorum 'Yellow Princess'.

[McDonough]

Gerrit, we're on such a similar track, I had gone out in the rain this morning and photographed E. grandiflorum 'Yellow Princess'! Mine has only just started flowering, it's a known late blooming, being a high mountain form of grandiflorum.

I had bought E. "wushanense" 'Caramel' mail order this spring, and it came as a nice sizable plant that has been flowering ever since it arrived.  The unique color blooms are generous with pollen, so I've been picking off blooms daily and using the pollen on other epis

Notice that I put the name "wushanense" in double quotes, as it is generally regarded that this is plant of hybrid origin and does not represent the species E. wushanense, I've heard this from the horse's mouth so to speak. 

Now I can't wait until next year when these plants get bigger, along with the two plants of 'Amber Queen' that I bought.

[gerrit]

The unique colour of E. "wushanense" 'Caramel' is to be seen in the attachment.

Mark, I assume you are not the first person, trying to use this colour for hybridization. I have seen already a lot of hybrids with this amber colour. Even E. 'Amber Queen' is influenced by 'Caramel' as it is from flavum x 'Caramel'. Another amber colouring we can see more or less at E. x omeiense 'Stormcloud', a natural hybrid from Omei Mountain. Just the same we can observe at E. x omeiense 'Akame'. All have that unique colouring.

Mark, about the double quoting of "wushanense". I thought, an x would be sufficient to show it is a hybrid.
So Epimedium x wushanense 'Caramel'. I never heard this before.