Epimedium 2011

[RickR]

Very cool, Mark.  I have always found the second flush anomalies very intriguing in plants.  What would make them so different from any other new growth?

[McDonough]

Here it is October 1st, and E. membranaceum and its hybrids are still flowering.  On the left is a self-sown hybrid of Epimedium membranaceum, about 6' (2 m) from the mother plant, which tells me that the ants, who are attracted to the starchy elaiosome on the seeds, can carry them away some distance away.  This one has been throwing spray after spray of flowers all summer, and still has more buds coming.  On the right is one I've showed previously, a hybrid that I selected for it's all-summer red foliage, which still looks as bright as ever.  It'll be evaluated to see if this characteristic is retained in further years.

[WimB]

Here it is October 1st, and E. membranaceum and its hybrids are still flowering.  On the left is a self-sown hybrid of Epimedium membranaceum, about 6' (2 m) from the mother plant, which tells me that the ants, who are attracted to the starchy elaiosome on the seeds, can carry them away some distance away.  This one has been throwing spray after spray of flowers all summer, and still has more buds coming.  On the right is one I've showed previously, a hybrid that I selected for it's all-summer red foliage, which still looks as bright as ever.  It'll be evaluated to see if this characteristic is retained in further years.

Very nice, Mark,

I love that intense red coloration of the leaves.

[McDonough]

Here it is just a week before Christmas, the ground is frozen for an inch or so, the ground is bare and nothing in bloom, but as I walk around the wintery garden, Epimediums continue to delight the eye with autumn/winter color.  Epimediums are plants that give so many seasons of color and interest, the evergreen to semi-evergreen ones especially so.

E. x warleyense stays green when in shade, but colors strongly both in spring and in autumn.  This large patch is growing in full sun, the mass of tatty dried sticks surrounding the plant are remains of Alliums, but the Epimedium stands out amongst the drab surroundings.  It also flowers prolifically in full sun, but much less so in shady conditions.

 

Epimedium diphyllum 'Variegatum' (above, right)is always neat and attractive, with white-spotted leaves on a smallish upright plant, but the autumn color is among the brightest of all.  While not an evergreen species, the foliage on many "diphyllums" tends to persist into winter.

Two views of Epimedium x setosum  (diphyllum x sempervirens). I have come to regard this Epimedium as one of the best of all, charming in every aspect.  It grows as a slow pancake, my old plant now a circle 16" across but just a few inches tall.  I like the fall/winter appearance, a low brace of overlapping bronze leaves.

 


Epimedium sempervirens is true to its name, one of the evergreen species, quite often remaining in good leaf form throughout our New England winters.  Some stay green all winter, others color up brilliantly.  This one is E. sempervirens 'Secret Arrow' (on the left), probably the best for late season color.

 

Above (on the right) is a hybrid seedling that shows strong E. sempervirens influence, coloring up now with Christmas green and red tones, but it eventually turns a striking near black color. I'm watching this one, the flowers have pure white sepals and yellow petals.  Here's what it looks like in flower:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=630.0;attach=15847;image


An Epimedium winter view on the left below.  It should be noted that I have already sheared off the leaves and stems of the purely deciduous species, leaving just the evergreen and semi-evergreen ones to enjoy their late color.  On the right is E. leptorrhizum, a low spreading species that I must relocate to a more suitable spot, where it can spread as it wants to. It colors up very late with rich red coloration.  The dried leaves are that of Iris minutoaurea.

 


Many evergreen species just stay a nice healthy green during winter.  The familiar species E. pinnatum ssp. colchicum is one such species which makes a wide carpet of perfectly evergreen leaves in New England, but I particularly like the Darrell Probst selection known as 'Thunderbolt' where the leaves get a deep mahogany coloration (eventually almost black) yet with the strong green venation.  My plant is now a yard across.

 

[McDonough]

More Epimedium "evergreeners", all photos taken on December 17, 2011.

Epimedium ilicifolium is one of the finest species, also low and slow growing, reliably evergreen in New England.  In the photo on the right is a division of E. ilicifolium, and behind it a hybrid of E. grandiflorum 'Dark Beauty' with mocha spring foliage, but this particular hybrid seedling with dark red foliage in late autumn that ages to near black-red leaves.

 


On the left (below) is E. x youngianum 'Otome' on the left, one of the most interesting of the so-called "youngianums"... I think this one is a hybrid that obviously has some sempervirens blood in it.  The leaves are wonderful year round, are glossy and deeply textured.  On the right in the same photo is E. diphyllum "Large Leaf Form" which exhibits some worthwhile color.  In the photo on the right is Epimedium brachyrrhizum, certainly among the top 10 of all Epimedium.  The foliage is reliably evergreen, the plant is tight and hummocks up nicely, the leaves are lustrous and textured.  In spring, it is a sight to behold when in flower.

 


On the left-hand photo below is a view showing evergreen E. pubigerum, probably the most reliably evergreen species in New England.  I consider it a favorite species, I grow 4 forms of it.  Flanking E. pubigerum on the left is E. grandiflorum f. flavescens 'La Rocaille', which needs to have the dead leaves sheared off, and E. x youngianum 'Capella' flanking on the right (also needing a haircut soon).  The photo on the right (below) is Epimedium wushanense "Spiny-leaved form", also reliably evergreen and always just green.

 


On the left (below) is E. x versicolor 'Versicolor', which is among the most striking "eppie" for autumn/winter foliage color, just a deep smouldering coppery red color.  It is a semi-evergreen plant, so if weather and limited snow cover allow, I'll cut the foliage off mid winter, otherwise the haircut comes in early spring.  The photo on the right (below) is Epimedium x 'Domino' in the center (among other epimediums), which attempts to stay evergreen... notice the lower first flush of foliage and upper flush of larger foliage, all a plain green in winter, though it does show mottled leaf color in spring.

 


Last is Epimedium stellulatum... brilliant hot mottled foliage colors in spring, in winter a dark brooding suffusion of black over green, another slow and low well-behaved species.

[Hoy]

Evergreens and especially colouring ones are always welcome in the garden, Mark!
I am still looking for sources and have found one or two I hope to increase my stock in years to come. . . .

[RickR]

What an amazing Epimedium encyclopedia you are building here, Mark!

This last installment is especially eye-opening with characteristics seldom shown or talked much about.  Thank you so much!  (Not to mention the beautiful photos and plants themselves.)

[gerrit]

I'll show pictures from the Epimediums in my garden with their fall foliage.
Since we have mild temperatures (between 5 and 10 degrees C) here in the Netherlands at the shore of the North Sea the colours are slowly changing. And the plant remain in a good shape.
First the leaves of the grandiflorums who are particular showy. Soon they will need a 'haircut' as Mark said.
More to come.

E. gr. 'Mount Kitadake'
E. gr. 'Queen Esta'
E. gr. 'Lilafee'
E. gr. flavescens 'La Rocaille'
E. gr. 'White Queen'

[gerrit]

I'll try to post here pictures of my Epimediums, the same as in New England in Mark's garden, just to compare.

Epimedium stellulatum 'Long leaf form'.
E. x setosum, a charming small plant suitable for Rock gardens.
E. ilicifolium, one of my favorites, a very slow growing plant with very nice foliage.
E. x versicolor 'Versicolor. Just fine for its foliage, in spring and summer.

[McDonough]

I'll try to post here pictures of my Epimediums, the same as in New England in Mark's garden, just to compare.

Epimedium stellulatum 'Long leaf form'.
E. setosum, a charming small plant suitable for Rock gardens.
E. ilicifolium, one of my favorites, a very slow growing plant with very nice foliage.
E. x versicolor 'Versicolor. Just fine for its foliage, in spring and summer.

Hello Gerrit, isn't it nice to have small evergreen plant species in the garden, where they can be enjoyed in the winter landscape (particularly if it stays free of snow).  Sounds like your autumn season has been like ours, abnormally mild (today it will be 54 F, 12 C), and the Epimediums have been in no rush to color up, and what color has appeared is lasting a very long time.

Glad you too like E. x setosum, a real charmer.  Even though it has small flowers, they are held daintily above the foliage; I have earmarked this species for hybridization for it's low habit, densely clothed overlapping leaves, near evergreen habit, and fine fall/winter foliage color.

I must get the "long leaf form" on E. stellulatum, really nice spiny foliage, and the spring show of mottled leaves and hazy mass of white flowers make this another first class "eppie".  That form is available here.  I'm most attracted to species that slowly clump, rather than the spreaders, so E. stellulatum fits in perfectly, making a fine slow-growing low mass of evergreen leaves.

My "grandiflorums" all need their haircut now, we did have a few nights with temperatures well below freezing, down to 12 F (-11 C).

Did you collect and sow any eppie seed this year?  That's the fun part, seeing what sort of hybrids one gets

[McDonough]

What an amazing Epimedium encyclopedia you are building here, Mark!

This last installment is especially eye-opening with characteristics seldom shown or talked much about.  Thank you so much!  (Not to mention the beautiful photos and plants themselves.)

Thanks Rick!  More and more, I've come to the realization that photographing plants "off-season" (when they're not flowering) is important too. With Epimediums specifically, what I've seen all over the place, is a tendency to only show closeups of the little flowers (check out any nursery offering for Epimedium, only closeups), but these plants are such great garden plants and foliage plants at all seasons, I like to highlight that aspect of the genus.  Same is true of other plants in the "off season", I find it educational to follow the topics about seed germination, and early transition of seedling plants to garden, or plants in their winter resting mode.

[RickR]

It is smart of you, Gerrit, to show how the same plant might differ in different climates.  Thanks.  Especially if one in unfamiliar with a plant, we tend to expect the same growth patterns where ever it is grown, when if fact, that is often not the case.

[gerrit]

Did you collect and sow any eppie seed this year?  That's the fun part, seeing what sort of hybrids one gets

Well Mark, you mentioned this, but it's rather painful to me, because of the failure. Let me tell: My aim was, to create new dwarf hybrids with my 'champion' E. davidii 'Dwarf Form' as my first parent. Well, in spring this year the davidii was very flowerful. So I pollinated by hand various second parents such as E. brachyrrhizum, E.ogisui, E.'William Stearn' and others. When the seeds came down spontaineously, I gathered them and sowed immediately. But unfortunately no germination. What went wrong. Maybe my plants are not mature enough? (3 years). Nevertheless, I don't give up, next year new chances.

[gerrit]

It is smart of you, Gerrit, to show how the same plant might differ in different climates.  Thanks.  Especially if one in unfamiliar with a plant, we tend to expect the same growth patterns where ever it is grown, when if fact, that is often not the case.

Comparing the 4 plants Mark and I are sharing, I must say Rick, I see no difference. Except E. stellulatum, but mine is a variety of the form, stellulatum 'Long leaf form. What I see is, Mark's plants are touched by the frost. But thanks for calling me 'smart', doesn't happen very often

[RickR]

Comparing the 4 plants Mark and I are sharing, I must say Rick, I see no difference. Except E. stellulatum, but mine is a variety of the form, stellulatum 'Long leaf form. What I see is, Mark's plants are touched by the frost. But thanks for calling me 'smart', doesn't happen very often

Showing that plants look the "same" in different climates has value, too.

Anyone who:
--- wants to learn
--- wants to share knowledge or experience
--- wants to share knowledge or experience and learn
is smart in my book. 

That is pretty much everyone here!