Epimedium 2011

[gerrit]

Hello Rick

I presume your plant is E. amber queen. A fantastic plant by the way.

Gerrit.

[McDonough]

Hello Gerrit, happy to see you here in the Epimedium thread, with an excellent start to the season.  I must pick up 'Fire Dragon', such a wonderful color combination, and now that I'm working again, I won't feel guilty about buying a few plants   Glad you show 'Black Sea' too, it is a good one that seems so seldom grown, again with a unique flower color effect.  I haven't placed any Epimediums in troughs, but the photo of a dwarf E. davidii in a trough suggests these look quite at home in a trough, I might thy that.

I agree with your suggestion that Rick's Epimedium is 'Amber Queen', another one that I hope to get this year. Just 25 F (-4 C) here this morning, the cold nights are retarding plant growth, still waiting for warmer weather to start the main spring flush of growth... mo epimediums are showing any spring growth yet.  Off to work!

[McDonough]

I'm so excited, last year while unemployed, I had unlimited time to play in the garden and I spent lots of time hand-pollinating Epimediums, and sowed approximately 45 flats of fresh harvested seed from both my crosses and some OP (open pollinated) seed.  The flats were protected with wire mesh (chipmunks and squirrels love to eat the seed). Checking the flats today on this warm almost summer-like day, many are showing germination. In fact, what I first noticed on a few flats was the layer of decomposed pine bark mulch I top dress with, was curiously raised up, and upon inspection, found that germination is so prolific that it is literally jacking up the mulch layer  I watered them well, with the dryish mulch settling back in.  Maybe in another week or two, I'll report back and take some pics.

[AmyO]

I'm so excited, last year while unemployed, I had unlimited time to play in the garden and I spent lots of time hand-pollinating Epimediums, and sowed approximately 45 flats

OMG!! Now that you are gainfully employed where are you going to find the time and space for all those seedlings??!!

[McDonough]

I'm so excited, last year while unemployed, I had unlimited time to play in the garden and I spent lots of time hand-pollinating Epimediums, and sowed approximately 45 flats

OMG!! Now that you are gainfully employed where are you going to find the time and space for all those seedlings??!!

I have enough space, but time will be the challenge.  On this Epimedium hybridization project, I am totally motivated!  Not knowing if I would ever find a job, I scoped out my targeted Epimedium hybridization for 2011, but now must put much of that on the shelf, except from what I might be able to do on weekends.

In sunny parts of the yard, some ornamental tree are finally getting large enough to produce some shade, so I can underplant with Epimedium.  This photo isn't very good, but you'll get the idea, I use this "tree ring" under Cornus kousa 'Milky Way' to underplant with approximately 120-130 epimedium seedlings.  In this view, it was recently planted the summer of 2010 with 1 & 2 year old seedlings.  After 3 years, when plants start growing in together, I dig them all out, mark and replant the ones I like, and I give away others to friends and my town's local garden club plant sale.  Now, with 45 flats, I will probably be digging up a much greater expanse of sod

[gerrit]

Epimedium setosum.

Very small flowers, in front of a 'huge' Helleborus.

Gerrit.

[McDonough]

Epimedium setosum.

Very small flowers, in front of a 'huge' Helleborus.

Gerrit.

Very small flowers as you say, but overall a most elegant and charming little species.  Funny that you mentioned E. setosum; when I was checking my seed flats for any sign of Epimedium germination, it was E. setosum and E. brevicornu that have germinated first (representing both manual crosses and open pollinated seed).  We're getting several very warm sunny days in a row which is activating strong epimedium growth; I noticed lots of buds on E. epsteinii curled up near the base.  Glad I cut back all my eppies this past fall, I don't like doing it in the spring because invariably I end up breaking some of the new shoots and flower stems.

[gerrit]

Here some new E., blooming.

Epimedium x youngianum 'Kozakura'
Epimedium 'Togen'
Epimedium acuminatum 'Night Mistress'
Epimedium davidii
Epimedium dolichostemon
Epimedium grandiflorum 'White Queen'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee'

[RickR]

Wonderful epimediums, Gerrit.  The color on the acuminatum Night Mistress is superb!

  With your E. davidii, is that normal for your plant to have such short spurs?

This is the Epimedium davidii I grow:
(photo from a previous year)

         


P.S. I added the species names in your photos to the post text so they can be found using the search function of the web site.

[gerrit]

Yes Rick, I see what you mean. I searched my pictures from last year and they look the same, so obviously we have different clones.

I see, I have to add names. Thank for doing it.

[WimB]

Gerrit,

I've never seen a E. davidii with such short spurs either. It's nice.

Here are some plants from my garden: flowers and young leaves:

Epimedium 'Domino'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Freya'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Spring Wedding'
Epimedium 'Amanagowa'
Epimedium 'Kaguya Hime'
Epimedium 'Pink Champagne'
Epimedium 'Akebono'
Epimedium x sasakii
Epimedium x youngianum 'Merlin'

[WimB]

Some leaf variation:

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Freya'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Spring Wedding'
Epimedium 'Pink Champagne'
Epimedium 'Spine Tingler'
Epimedium x versicolor 'Cherry Tart'
Epimedium x youngianum 'Azusa'
Epimedium x youngianum 'Freckles'

[WimB]

And an Epi I received as an alternate form of E. x sasakii which it clearly is not!   

[McDonough]

Hello Epimedium fans, much to respond to here, many tempting beauties!  Will chime in later on tonight, but with this quick hit-and-run post, here are a couple photos of Epimedium seed germination.  After heavy rains again last night, almost all flats are showing strong germination, and Jeffersonia seed is just starting too.


Left:   E. grandiflorum 'Red Queen' OP seedlings (open pollinated, although I made a few "assists" )
Right:  E. setosum OP on left half, E. sempervirens 'Aurora' OP seedlings on the right half.


While the seedling density may appear moderate, the shredded bark mulch cover is literally lifting up, there are hundreds more seedlings on their way up

[WimB]

While the seedling density may appear moderate, the shredded bark mulch cover is literally lifting up, there are hundreds more seedlings on their way up

That's fun to see, I'm glad you got such a good germination for your seeds....It's nice to see the start of Mark's Epi's nursery...
I got some Jeffersonia dubia seeds of a very good dark form last year and they have all germinated too. I didn't expect them to be that easy to germinate.