Epimedium 2011

[McDonough]

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 t. 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, nothing has gone wrong yet; like many ephemeral seed species, the seed is sown right after it is ready, typically late spring for Epimedium, but no seed will germinate until the following spring.  So, keep your seed pots and leave them exposed to winter weather, and when it warms up in spring you should get germination.  Previously I asked Darrell Probst if there is any way to hasten seed germination in Epimedium, as he has a huge greenhouse and grows many eppies inside (many so that he could hybridize them), he said nothing works to speed up germination, you pretty much need to wait until they germinate the following spring.

So far as Epimedium 'William Stearn', I'm not familiar with it, but see it is a hybrid available in Europe... found a couple links.  Do you know what Chinese species might be among the parents?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapommangels/6053574716/
https://www.edrom-nurseries.co.uk/shop/pc/Epimedium-William-Stearn-20p9509.htm

[gerrit]

More eppies to come now. With, in my eyes, very attractive winterfoliage. I agree totally what Mark wrote: Epimediums are such versatile plants for the garden. Which genus has similar foliage as Epimedium. Each species has different leaves. And the Chinese species are not deciduous.

Epimedium 'Kaguyahime'.
E. acuminatum 'Night Mistress'. Evergreen glossy leaves on this superb plant with wunderful flowers.
E. 'Akane"
E. fire dragon. Fine winterleaves. Turning into bronze.
E. ilicifolium and the following three with spinny leaves, which remember us to the lineage of Mahony.
E. spine tingler. slow growing with beautiful tiny yellow flowers. Horizontally growing, so put it on an
                       embankement.
E. x wushanense 'Caramel'. With spinny foliage too. Very special choclate flowers.
Epimedioum 'Black Sea. A European species, vigorous, a spreader, with dark winterfoliage.
Epimedium davidii 'Dwarf Form'. This is my 'champion'. Blooming all autumn untill now as you see. No particular fine winterleaves.

[gerrit]

Epimedium 'William Stearn' is a cross between E.membranaceum and omeiense. This is a link to the VRV-forum, where Wim and myself participated last year an where you see in answer 42 my new acquisation,the wonderful William t. Stearn. Look at the colour and the spinny leaves. Really a plant to hybridize with. If you like, I'll get you some seeds (if tolerated by law).
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=346.msg10315#msg10315

That was the happy part, and now the sad one. I threw away all of my seedpods, not aware of the neccesary overwintering of eppie-seeds. @#*&$!%.

[McDonough]

Gerrit, sorry to hear the sad part about the seeds.

You certainly have some very fine Chinese evergreen species and cultivars.  I finally got 'Fire Dragon' in 2011, and the foliage has turned impressively dark red-purple now, although mine is still a small plant.

Thanks for the information on Epimedium 'William Stearn', I really must get E. omeiense, seems to lead to so many wonderful hybrids.  Your photo on the VRV Forum shows off 'William Stearn' well:
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=afbjh5oh714d2o3esl3ps30q81&action=dlattach;topic=346.0;attach=16333;image

Regarding Epimedium 'Black Sea' is actually regarded as a hybrid; E. pinnatum ssp. colchicum and E. pubigerum.  While characterized as a spreader, it increases relatively slowly, more of a slowly spreading clumper.

By the way, what can you tell us about Epimedium x omeiense 'Pale Fire Siblings' that I see on VRV Forum?  It's a beautiful plant.
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=346.0;attach=20589;image

Lastly, here's a new one to my collection, Epimedium elachyphyllum, only introduced a few years ago by Darrell Probst.  It's a very small species only growing 6" (15 cm) and producing small simple leaves.  It has tiny white and yellow flowers, which I have not seen yet.  Appears to be an evergreen species.  It is from N. Guizhou province, China.

[gerrit]

Epimedium x omeiense 'Pale Fire Siblings' is a cross between acuminatum x fangii. About E. fangii writes Garden Vision Epimediums in their catalogue: Darell Probst found this species " on the ridge of cliffs, i.e. two sides of that ridge were vertical abysses".
That's why I think all members of the x omeiense family tend to grow down with the flowers underneath.
Look at my pictures of: Myriad Years, Akane,(flowers above leaves) Stormcloud and Pale Fire Siblings.
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=346.75

[McDonough]

Epimedium x omeiense 'Pale Fire Siblings' is a cross between acuminatum x fangii. About E. fangii writes Garden Vision Epimediums in their catalogue: Darell Probst found this species " on the ridge of cliffs, i.e. two sides of that ridge were vertical abysses".
That's why I think all members of the x omeiense family tend to grow down with the flowers underneath.
Look at my pictures of: Myriad Years, Akane,(flowers above leaves) Stormcloud and Pale Fire Siblings.
http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=346.75

Thanks Gerrit, I find it so interesting to see crosses between known species, to learn what sorts of qualities may be imparted to siblings.  I do grow E. fangii (obtained from Garden Vision Epimediums), I really like it for the growth characteristic, low growing, substantial 3-part leathery oval leafs, make it immediately recognizable.  It is not very showy in flower, doesn't produce many flowers.  It's a spreader, so this coming spring I'll probably have to move it to avoid the shoots intertwining with other plants.  Could be useful in a hybridization program for its foliar aspects.

[gerrit]

http://www.hethoutenhuis.eu/index.php/p2/z5/e/169/0/0/1116/53

Is this the same plant as in your collection? Epimedium elachyphyllum?

[McDonough]

http://www.hethoutenhuis.eu/index.php/p2/z5/e/169/0/0/1116/53

Is this the same plant as in your collection? Epimedium elachyphyllum?

Could be... I have not seen flowers on my young plant yet.  The photo on that link is for E. elachyphyllum 'Paper Dolls'; not sure what's different about that named form, and when I research the name, it only seems to trace back to www.hethoutenhuis.eu site, so it must be a form named by that nursery.

[Tim Ingram]

What glorious photos of epimediums! I especially like Mark's picture taken in young woodland. A friend many years ago was developing a woodland planting under coppiced hazel (Kent is renowned for coppice and it carries a wonderful understory of anemone, celandine and bluebells in spring). As far as I know 'William Stearn' was raised by Robin White at Blackthorn Nursery, and I remember Robin showing it to me in a polytunnel completely full of epimediums some years ago. Quite a sight.

Good wishes for Christmas and 2012!

[McDonough]

I took many Epimedium photos in spring 2011 that I never had the chance to assimilate. Now in the winter months, I can reflect on some epimedium species and hybrids from the past season, as well as, recap some of the "developments" this past season. I have already expressed my admiration for Epimedium x setosum (E. diphyllum x E. sempervirens), shown here in its recent fall/winter garb: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=630.msg13377#msg13377

Here are a few photos of this tiny-flowered charmer in early May 2011, from it's initial amber-leaf emergence:




One to two weeks later, the plant plumps up into a low forest of trim vertically-held leaflets like little shields, and clouds of little white flowers above.




In keeping with small flowered types, the next two photos are of a small mounding hybrid with amber spring leaves and nice leaf speckling.  I think there are definite hybridization possibilities with small flowered types.  The speckling comes from either E. x youngianum 'Liliputian", but amplified in this hybrid, or from E. x youngianum 'Freckles', but with more regular speckling and fewer mottled patches.

[Hoy]

I think there are definite hybridization possibilities with small flowered types.  The speckling comes from either E. x youngianum 'Liliputian", but amplified in this hybrid, or from E. x youngianum 'Freckles', but with more regular speckling and fewer mottled patches.

I agree, Mark. Although flowers are a plus, this genus have so many species with beautiful leaves of many kinds.

[gerrit]

As far as I know 'William Stearn' was raised by Robin White at Blackthorn Nursery, and I remember Robin showing it to me in a polytunnel completely full of epimediums some years ago. Quite a sight.

Tim, what you wrote is right. This Epimedium was created as a hybrid between E.membranaceum and x omeiense, at Blackthorn Nursery, by the renowned plantsman Robin White. The name he gave was a tribute to William Stearn, the author of "The genus Epimedium". The nursery has been closed now and Mr. White is a gardener in is own garden.
2 pictures taken in spring. My new acquisition of this beautiful plant with its proud name, Epimedium 'William Stearn"

[McDonough]

Epimedium 'William Stearn' is certainly worthy of its name, a most handsome of Epimedium, with such rich color flowers that are well presented and clear of the foliage.  It is clear when observing this cultivar, it has inherited E. membranaceum genes, a species that displays its flowers proudly along long arching stems well above the foliage.  I have put this fine cultivar on my watch-list in hope that it arrives in USA nurseries.  Gerrit, does this cultivar also have a long season of bloom and rebloom?  My personal experience with E. membranaceum hybrids is the progeny inherits some degree of the unique everblooming characteristic of that species, often blooming into August when most "eppies" are done by the end of May.

On the other hand, I'm often left disappointed with some of the named cultivars of Chinese evergreen species, like Epimedium 'Kaguyahime'.  The foliage is beautifully mottled in spring, but the foliage soon surpasses the flowers which hides and diminishes the display.  Here's a photo taken in 2010, early enough in the season that the flowers are just starting to open and are visible but within a week they are largely obscured by foliage.  A primary hybridization goal for me is to get the flowers above the foliage.




I've shown the following hybrid before from a side angle, here it is from an overhead viewpoint; an E. membranaceum x brevicornu hybrid.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=630.msg9257#msg9257
This one shows a stronger resemblance to E. membranaceum, except with the telltale fuzzy stems and pedicels attributed to E. brevicornu. But one can also see, this is a more compact plant with shorter, more in-proportion stems with lots of big yellow flowers... an improved characteristic.  It bloomed well into summer, as most E. membranaceum hybrids do.



Epimedium brevicornu continues to be one of the best all-around species, making such perfect rounded clumps of mottled foliage and a haze of little white and yellow flowers.  It is most fertile and hybridizes readily.




I have numerous hybrids between E. brevicornu and E. membranaceum; until a recent plant relocation in 2011 I had these two species growing so closely together that their stems intertwined, accounting for many hybrid seedlings.  This is one of the better hybrid seedlings; just keeps on blooming well into August with a flurry of little white and yellow flowers, the flowers about 3x larger than E. brevicornu, but still very small flowers when compared to E. membranaceum.




I've shown the following two yellow-flowered hybrids before, but here shown from a different vantage point and new emphasis. On the left is a hybrid between E. davidii EMR x (probably) E. brevicornu, with very small chunky flowers of yellow and pinkish sepals... rather floriferous, and behind it on the right is an E. davidii EMR hybrid, appearing much like the parent, but much more floriferous and making a good show.




A season 2011 closeup of E. davidii "Woolong Select", a dwarf form that Darrell Probst introduced that is small enough for a trough, but with large boxy bright yellow flowers; the flowers keep on coming long into the season with lots of rebloom.  I target this one as a stud.




Perhaps incongruous to this current line of Epimedium thought, but previously I struggled to get a good photo of the E. grandiflorum 'Cranberry Sparkle', not a hybrid, but an alpine selection of E. grandiflorum with the darkest red-purple flower color of any grandiflorum.  It is probably too leafy or shy of bloom to be first class, but its very late emergence in spring (thus extending the season a bit) and the ultra-dark flower color, suggest unique qualities for use in a hybridization program.

[Hoy]

Mark, if you ever get more seeds than you have space to grow, I can offer some space here

[Tim Ingram]

I am really encouraged to try harder with epimediums. I have found them quite slow to establish and wonder whether this is because they resent being divided into too small a pieces? Our climate is also relatively summer dry, but having said this a number of species like wushanense have grown well. With such a variety Mark you must have the prospect of some really exciting hybrids arising in the garden! I like the dwarf form of davidii very much - will be very interesting to see its potential in hybridising with other epis.