Epimedium 2012

Going through my digital photos, I came up with the following selection of memorable views, most I haven't shown before.

The first two views showing E. x versicolor 'Strawberry Blush' and E. x youngianum 'Royal Flush'.  The dark leaf lavender-pink flowered plant is 'Royal Flush', a stunning plant with glowing chocolate red leaves in early spring, retaining some dark leaf color when in flower in late April, the flowers held just above the foliage.  The recent versicolor selection 'Strawberry Blush' has broadly plump pale yellow sepals, the deeper yellow cup and strawberry blush color not seen from above; one has to peak at the underside of the downturned flowers to see the blush ;)  This one has complimentary bronzy leaves too; an excellent plant.

On the left is an Epimedium garden view; notice the mottled shoot of Arisaema tashiroi x amurense in the center, a spontaneous hybrid that occurred in my garden.
On the right is another garden view, with E. grandiflorum 'Lavender Lady' in the center, one of the showiest grandiflorums.  However I am of the belief that 'Lavender Lady' actually has some E. sempervirens genes in it, based on the rich leaf color that occurs after the flowers are prime.

Left: one of many self-sown E. brevicornu x membranaceum hybrids, with outstanding hot foliage color is spring.  Need to work on these to get bigger and better flowers.  On the right is E. sempervirens "Variegated", an outstanding variegated form in every respect.  Sadly this one was a casualty of the 2011 record-breaking drought here; where dozens of epimediums could not withstand multiple months of no rain whatsoever. :(

The fun of growing Epimediums is growing on many self-sown hybrids (as well as engaging in intentional controlled hybridization), on the left is one such spontaneous hybrid of E. youngianum 'Otome'.  It might not be particularly special, but it's different enough and costs nothing to have an excellent unique garden plant; we get too fixated on only having verified named species and cultivars.  On the right is one of my favorite Epimedium species, E. stellulatum, an all-around excellent garden plant with great mottled spring foliage and clouds of white flowers, and in the autumn and winter, the low evergreen bristly-edged leaves are darkly veined and fascinating.

Courtesy of a candid photo of me and Darrell Probst "talking epimedium", taken by my friend Marsha Russell that she posted on Facebook.

Mark - the planting you show reminds me very much of the woodland garden at Kew made by Tony Hall. There are also many epimediums there, even a few hybrids although as a botanical collection they must prize the species. In amongst them are marvellous plantings of trilliums, ferns and all sorts of woodland plants. Although flowers provide the colour my greatest impression was the variety of distinctive foliage in many of these plants and the epimediums and related genera are pre-eminent in this. I have always wanted to make such a planting but not really succeeded so far; your pictures certainly inspire me to continue!

Thanks Tim, but I think epimediums speak for themselves. If they are given room to grow into mature clumps, one can't go wrong, they provide aesthetic attraction all season long, and complement rather than compete with their company.

Mark, when can we expect your book on Epimediums?

There are others that have much more experience and knowledge than I do on Epimedium; when I'm able to retire in 9 years, we'll see what happens then.  Until then, I'll keep on posting  :D

Hoy wrote:

Mark, when can we expect your book on Epimediums?

I'm waiting for that too, Trond!  ;D  ;) And I'm still waiting for the start of "Mark's vision nursery" too....  ;)

Yesterday I received a piece of Epimedium grandiflorum 'Azumino'.

It was still in leaf, so it's certainly not a pure E. grandiflorum.
The rootstock looks like the ones on a grandiflorum and the flowers look like a grandiflorum too (according to the friend who gave it to me).

I can find no information about this "hybrid"(??) though, so I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about this cultivar?

After searching, my guess is this in not actually a deliberately named cultivar, but possibly something found or bought in the city of Azumino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.  In one of the two references found, they do say the leaves are evergreen, so probably not E. grandiflorum.  My guess is, we've just witnessed the birth of a new and expensive cultivar that will be mass produced. ;)

Epimedium grandiflorum "Azumino"?

http://www.kwekerijen.net/planten/index.cfm?showall=yes&fuseaction=kweke...

This site says they "bought as E. grandiflorum 'Azumino', but keeps its leaves, no E. grandiflorum type?".  There's no photo for it, the photo is for another cultivar below it.
http://www.hethoutenhuis.eu/index.php/p2/z5/e/169/0/0/1096/6

McDonough wrote:

After searching, my guess is this in not actually a deliberately named cultivar, but possibly something found or bought in the city of Azumino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.  In one of the two references found, they do say the leaves are evergreen, so probably not E. grandiflorum.  My guess is, we've just witnessed the birth of a new and expensive cultivar that will be mass produced. ;)

Epimedium grandiflorum "Azumino"?

http://www.kwekerijen.net/planten/index.cfm?showall=yes&fuseaction=kweke...

This site says they "bought as E. grandiflorum 'Azumino', but keeps its leaves, no E. grandiflorum type?".  There's no photo for it, the photo is for another cultivar below it.
http://www.hethoutenhuis.eu/index.php/p2/z5/e/169/0/0/1096/6

Thanks Mark,

"De Hessenhof" had it for sale but it was no longer on their sale-list since last year!
"Het Houten Huis" has no picture of it indeed... I'll try to post a pic of the leaves tomorrow and I'll post a picture again when it's in flower!

As for it being an expensive cultivar, I know of one nursery in Belgium which will be selling it...don't know the price yet  ;D  ;)

Looking forward to seeing photos of the leaves.

From Google maps, this is what Azumino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, looks like:

McDonough wrote:

Looking forward to seeing photos of the leaves.

Voici  ;)

Had to pot him up today, but all the potting soil and compost I had was frozen solid, real fun to get soil defrosted inside the house  :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Well, that foliage certainly disqualifies it from being a "grandiflorum" type.  Based on the leaf shape, evergreen habit, and noticeably bullate/veined character, it looks just like an Epimedium sempervirens type.

However, since it is already beginning to show up in the trade as a grandiflorum cultivar, and with a location name possibly mistaken as a cultivar name, I fear the misidentification might persist and become widespread.

Wim, thanks for posting the photos.  Now I can't wait (but, will have to wait) to see the flowers.

Anyone ever heard about an Epimedium (grandiflorum) 'Kusudama'. Or even better, maybe someone has a picture of this form?
A friend of mine has this Epi in her nursery, but she forgot to take pictures last year.

The only pic I could find of this cultivar was here: http://www.bluetendatenbank.de/web/Epimedium-,1,100,2546.html

Wim, you certainly come up with some of the most obscure Epimedium cultivars ;)

Listed as a form of grandiflorum in this link (E. grandiflorum 'Kusudama'):
http://www.florius.cz/semetin/eng/a58e.htm

The photo in your link shows a young plant, or at least, not a mature plant, hard to say much about it based on a few leaves.

I was curious about what "Kusudama" refers to; lots of references to origami come up, I believe it is a style of origami:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusudama

From this site, more is said about Kusudama origami:
http://www.theorigamipapershop.com/c-156-kusudama-origami-paper.aspx?gcl...
"Kusudama origami is made from a number of identical origami shapes that are glued or sewn together to form a ball.  The word Kusudama is made from a combination of two Japanese words kusuri meaning medicine and tama meaning ball."

Under fair use provision, here is a photo of an origami Epimedium plant, that comes up under a search for Epimedium Kusudama, screen capture from the following web site:
http://www.oriland.com/about/displays/exhibits.asp?category=spain2007&model=09&name=San%20Lorenzo%20de%20El%20Escorial,%20Spain,%202007

McDonough wrote:

Wim, you certainly come up with some of the most obscure Epimedium cultivars ;)

Yes, that's one of my hobbies  ;D ;D I just have a very good friend with a lot of (obscure) Epimediums  ;) ;)

McDonough wrote:

I was curious about what "Kusudama" refers to; lots of references to origami come up, I believe it is a style of origami:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusudama

From this site, more is said about Kusudama origami:
http://www.theorigamipapershop.com/c-156-kusudama-origami-paper.aspx?gcl...
"Kusudama origami is made from a number of identical origami shapes that are glued or sewn together to form a ball.  The word Kusudama is made from a combination of two Japanese words kusuri meaning medicine and tama meaning ball."

Always very interesting to find the meaning of a Japanese name, thanks Mark!

McDonough wrote:

Under fair use provision, here is a photo of an origami Epimedium plant, that comes up under a search for Epimedium Kusudama, screen capture from the following web site:
http://www.oriland.com/about/displays/exhibits.asp?category=spain2007&model=09&name=San%20Lorenzo%20de%20El%20Escorial,%20Spain,%202007

Somehow I don't think it's that one  ;D ;D

I think I can make those origami pseudo-epi flowers, but I've never seen origami fritillaria before...  :o

McDonough wrote:

Wim, you certainly come up with some of the most obscure Epimedium cultivars ;)

No kidding, Wim! :D

Since it's a Japanese name, I thought that I could easily find a picture of the flower if I searched in Japanese, but the only site I could manage to find is http://www.ishidaseikaen.com/webshop/products/detail.php?product_id=3394

Sadly, no image... (although they do offer it for 2,100 yen for a four-inch pot).

Once again I find myself evaluating "evergreenness" of epimediums, this winter being a particularly trying one for evergreen plants in New England, Northeastern USA.  This winter has been highly unusual for two reasons, it has been virtually snowless (just a 3-4 negligible inches of disappearing snow), and it's been roller-coaster ride of unusual mild weather, swinging to deep freeze and dessicating high winds, back to mild above-freezing weather.  I'm realizing that the evergreen character of many epimediums has some dependency on winter snow cover, because this nearly snowless winter has shown much more widespread foliar damage or winter kill on evergreen Epimediums than I've seen in the last decade.  Those that showed no foliar damage whatsoever the last 7-8 years, such as E. pubigerum & E. pinnatum ssp. colchicum, are rather leaf-burned this year.

Yet, a few species still look totally unfazed.  Here are some photos taken today, Feb. 10, 2012.

Left:  E. stellulatum.   Right: Epimedium 'The Giant'

Left: E. brachyrrhizum (the best winter eppie!), right: E. wushanense "Spiny-leaved form", showing some winter burn  

E. membranaceum x brevicornu; I have several plants of this cross, and they are more evergreen that both parents.  Not pictured is E. ilicifolium, still looking perfectly fine with green evergreen leaves.

I wonder, Mark, if you are going to have the "problem" I have here every year: when the spring air is warm, but the the frozen soil lags long into the season.  Marginal evergreens of all kinds tend to look fine until spring begins.

What is the frost depth in the soil now, compare to most years?

RickR wrote:

I wonder, Mark, if you are going to have the "problem" I have here every year: when the spring air is warm, but the the frozen soil lags long into the season.  Marginal evergreens of all kinds tend to look fine until spring begins.

What is the frost depth in the soil now, compare to most years?

Probably not as deep as normal.  Overall it's been a rather mild winter, interspersed with some normal deep cold spells.  Hard to know based on this aberrant winter, other than to say the lack of snow cover most definately affected foliage "evergreenness" on some Epimediums.  But that's okay, generally I shear off any beat up looking foliage in late winter / early spring, to better enjoy the spring flowers.

Believe it or not, I don't have the epimedium bible, The Genus Epimedium and Other Herbaceous Berberidaceae (A Botanical Magazine Monograph) by William T. Stearn.  My list of things to buy is always so long, but with limited budget, discretionary spending on hobby items is always very restricted.  But tonight I finally ordered a used copy in "very good" condition from Amazon for $50, a very good price when researching availability of this book. 

On Amazon there are 5 remaining used copies, but they get expensive very fast, here's a screen capture of the 5 remaining used copies.  There is also a new copy for $215.99, but looking around at other sources, new copies can be bought for considerably less.

Amazon, 5 remaining used copies as of 02-18-2012:

Waiting for spring, some pictures of a few selections of my friend and neighbor Thierry Delabroye, among thousands of his nursery. I'm anxious to see his hybrid of 'The Giant' next month.

Some are quite showy, not for all tastes I think...^^ I like.

1. Perrine's White
2. Glingal
3-6. selections
7. Space Wagon
8-10. Calliope

Edited to include names in text portion to make them searchable.
--- moderator

More...

1-4. selections
5-8. Cyrion
9. Mandrin Star
10. E. pinnatum hybrid

And more...(that's a lot of picture I know ...)

Well, now I stop... ;D

Geo wrote:

...a few selections of my friend and neighbor Thierry Delabroye, among thousands of his nursery....

I really have to visit his nursery again this year...it's been a while since I've been there. And he sells such wonderful plants (very stunning Hellebores too: http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/Delabroye/Delabroye-hellebores-20-02-...). I love Epimedium 'Perrine's white', that's one of his own hybrids, no?

Wow, what a selection of epimediums (and hellebores)! I still have quite a bit of space in the garden...

Absolutely Wim, Perrine is his daughter. He sells 'Perrine's White' since this year.
His selections have really diversified over the past three years, this year there will be many many.
He's a bit disappointed, also so do I, because people seem to be interested only in large-flowered Epimediums, while he created some lovely tiny-flowers forms.
I leave his nursery every year in march and april with dozens of epimediums...

His Hellebores are also fantastic indeed. There's something for everyone, from sophisticated to the selections of botanic species.
I bought him this year some nice crosses between H.orientalis and H.tibetanus and a pretty green yellow flowered form with foliage deeply dissected.

Geo wrote:

Well, now I stop... ;D

Oh no Geo!!! Don't stop....I think we can put up with more of your pics!! :o :o :o

Amy, when I go back to his nursery for the first blooms of epimediums, I might flood the topic of pics! ;)

Oh my, every one of those photos are a delight, Geoffrey!
Thanks so much for posting them.

There is so much variation in size, color and form, so there is something sure to please everyone!

Geo wrote:

Amy, when I go back to his nursery for the first blooms of epimediums, I might flood the topic of pics! ;)

Oh yes...please do! And thanks!

A glorious range of Epimedium hybrids there Geoffrey, many new, exciting, and dramatic color combinations. :o :o :o
Thanks for posting all these, it gives a good sense about the upcoming possibilities with this genus. I sure hope that some of these hybrids are able to "cross the pond" and become available here in USA.

First, I will second Wim's praise of 'Perrine's White', flowers of such solid substance, with that light kiss of pink, a true beauty!

I like 'Glingal' too, carnival colors, flights of flowers, what fun it would be to have this flowering in the garden.

Do you have information on the parentage of these fine hybrids; some of the darker ones look like omeiense, particularly 'Akame'.  And the orange ones, these tempt me the most, the ones labeled Select 3 & 4 are glorious, I'm so filled with Epimedium envy ;)

Many of the hybrids you show us have contrasting yet complimentary inner and outer sepal colors, it's hard to choose a favorite, they're all so nice.  But I'm intrigued by the one labeled "big flower selections", as not only are the flowers large, but they are of fine form; love the broad white-lavender sepals and maroon cups outlined with a rim of yellow.  The one labeled Selection #17 is a similar color combination.

Interesting to see the E. pinnatum hybrid; I have seedlings coming along of some pinnatum ssp. colchicum hand-crossed hybrids.

The one labeled Selection #15 shows distinctively ascending sepals, a unique flower shape.  I'm inspired seeing such things, as it gives ideas and promise about what sorts of things are possible when hybridizing epimediums.  And last, Selection #16, a fine looking rosy one, but with long pale spurs tipped with yellow like bright points of light... magic.

Feel free to show us more!

Geo, what great pictures!
I would love to have a neighbor like this. Just to go there very often and look at his plants and being unable to choose.

Lina.

Lina wrote:

Geo, what great pictures!
I would love to have a neighbor like this. Just to go there very often and look at his plants and being unable to choose.

Lina.

Ditto! I would also love to have his nursery as my neighbor as well! I love hellebores and I've known his name from these for a while, but I didn't know that he had lots of great Epimidium as well.

I have bookmarked his site!  ;D http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/

Mark, I do think that the upcoming possibilities with epimediums are huge, Thierry tries a lot of hybridizations with views to obtain new forms of flowers, foliages, improve floribondity, colors of foliages and flowers, the height of flower stems etc.. He selects a lot, he keeps the best of his hybrids for hybridizations and sell the others, which are nonetheless very interesting. Moreover, his plants are very well rooted and sold in 2-3L containers at a price extremely reasonable (about $ 8).

I do not know very well the parentage of his selections, he works a lot with omeiense, but also many others ... I ask him rarely, every magician has its secrets...

I remember on the SRGC topic of the epimedium, that you had already been interested in a selection with the same color combination as my "big flower selection", but with small flowers.
On the left, it's the big flowers form, and the small flowers form on the right.

I know that for both there is omeiense in the lineage.

Regarding the selection 15, clearly a hybrid davidii, it has several similar, I love also.

Personally, I'm totally a fan of his selection 22-23. It's like an improvement of 'Caramel', which I liked a lot. It has very long stems, very floriferous and arch up under the weight of the flowers. Its petals are more amber as 'Caramel' and it has broader sepals. I found one like that, but with foliage similar to E.wushanense 'Spiny Leaf Form', a gem.

Lina and Saori, yes, it is a joy to have a good nursery (and a good nurseryman!) close to home! There are many beautiful things there, especially, for me because I'm a Polygonatum's collector, pretty forms of Polygonatum kingianum, P.cirrhifolium and other "climbers" polygonatum, Polygonatum macranthum, giant P.falcatum etc. , some Chloranthus, which I love, nice Arisaemas etc. Thierry also greatly hybridizes Thalictrum.

Geo wrote:

Lina and Saori, yes, it is a joy to have a good nursery (and a good nurseryman!) close to home! There are many beautiful things there, especially, for me because I'm a Polygonatum's collector, pretty forms of Polygonatum kingianum, P.cirrhifolium and other "climbers" polygonatum, Polygonatum macranthum, giant P.falcatum etc. , some Chloranthus, which I love, nice Arisaemas etc. Thierry also greatly hybridizes Thalictrum.

Hi Geoffrey, nice plants! I'm a collector of all kind of woodland plants - Epimedium as well as Polygonatum and relatives. Do you know if Thierry (or some of the nurseries having his plants) export to Norway? (Need a phytosanitary certificate)

Hoy, unfortunately Thierry doesn't export at all, in despair of many people...

Geo wrote:

Hoy, unfortunately Thierry doesn't export at all, in despair of many people...

Thanks, I was afraid of that :(

A few more pictures...

http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/Epimediums%20Thierry/pages/thumbnail/...

Enjoy! 8)

Geo wrote:

A few more pictures...

http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/Epimediums%20Thierry/pages/thumbnail/...

Enjoy! 8)

OMG! :o :o :o  I just ran through all 10 pages of Epimedium images, the new Thierry hybrids are simply mind-boggling, so many stunning flower forms and colors; I'm practically at a loss for words.  I also like the fact, the whole plant is shown in many cases, after all, it's not just about flowers; so few web sites that show Epimedium flower photos ever show us the whole plant. Mr. Thierry's hybridization goals are good ones, and it is obvious he has succeeded with those goals in developing so many spectacular flower forms and colors, and plants with really attractive foliage too.  I am humbled by that impressive body of hybridization work; at the same time his results sparks the imagination about what the possibilities might be, and now I'm more anxious than ever to "play" with epimedium crosses this coming spring

How fortunate you are to be close to such an exceptional nursery and nurseryman.  Would love to see more on Thalictrum hybrids too.

Geo wrote:

A few more pictures...

http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/Epimediums%20Thierry/pages/thumbnail/...

Enjoy! 8)

Thanks Geoffrey, wonderful plants?

McDonough wrote:

OMG! :o :o :o  I just ran through all 10 pages of Epimedium images, the new Thierry hybrids are simply mind-boggling, so many stunning flower forms and colors; I'm practically at a loss for words.  I also like the fact, the whole plant is shown in many cases, after all, it's not just about flowers; so few web sites that show Epimedium flower photos ever show us the whole plant. Mr. Thierry's hybridization goals are good ones, and it is obvious he has succeeded with those goals in developing so many spectacular flower forms and colors, and plants with really attractive foliage too.  I am humbled by that impressive body of hybridization work; at the same time his results sparks the imagination about what the possibilities might be, and now I'm more anxious than ever to "play" with epimedium crosses this coming spring

How fortunate you are to be close to such an exceptional nursery and nurseryman.  Would love to see more on Thalictrum hybrids too.

Mark, I think yo would feel like a child in a toystore over there  ;D  ;)

One of his best Thalictrum introductions for me is Thalictrum 'Splendide'. It's like a giant pink cloud in the garden when it flowers....I beleive he sells a white form of it now, too (forgot the name)!

McDonough wrote:

OMG! :o :o :o  I just ran through all 10 pages of Epimedium images, the new Thierry hybrids are simply mind-boggling, so many stunning flower forms and colors; I'm practically at a loss for words.  I also like the fact, the whole plant is shown in many cases, after all, it's not just about flowers; so few web sites that show Epimedium flower photos ever show us the whole plant. Mr. Thierry's hybridization goals are good ones, and it is obvious he has succeeded with those goals in developing so many spectacular flower forms and colors, and plants with really attractive foliage too.  I am humbled by that impressive body of hybridization work; at the same time his results sparks the imagination about what the possibilities might be, and now I'm more anxious than ever to "play" with epimedium crosses this coming spring

How fortunate you are to be close to such an exceptional nursery and nurseryman.  Would love to see more on Thalictrum hybrids too.

Well Mark, I feel very happy to be close to Thierry! Ideally I would be close to Thierry, Darrell Probst of Koen Van Poucke, Daniele Monbaliu of Crug Farm and Pan Global Plants...Then I would be the happiest man of the world...^^

It is just a small glimpse of what he will propose this year, he said that in 2013, it will be more interesting...We'll see.

Unfortunately, as many nurseries these days, he can't do everything he wants. For example, there would be very interesting to hybridize species such as platypetalum or ecalcaratum, actually two of my favorites, but species with small flowers don't pay enough attention to people, they like big colorful flowers, though showy (as for Heuchera, people tend to prefer more colorful, and this is true for many plants, unfortunately).
Epimedium brevicornu, for example, few people interested, while it is in my opinion an excellent species. As for Epimedium pubescens, which is in my top 10 here.

(photo Thierry Delabroye)

Here is an E.ecalcaratum hybrids breeds by Mark Libert in Belgium, its flowers are smaller than those of ecalcaratum, a little beauty. But unsaleable according to Thierry. (I think it's a cross between ecalcaratum and a wushanense or something like 'Amber Queen'/'Caramel')

Hybridizations that Thierry doesn't make, but you do Mark, are with grandiflorum and other japanese species. Not really his cup of tea, they're more capricious here.

Now, he is also trying to hybridize its hybrids (which are now hybrids of hybrids) with true species. Especially to avoid getting sterile individuals and to inject new genes.

You know, I can send seeds if anyone is interested. It's just that the seeds remain viable during shipping.

WimB wrote:

Mark, I think yo would feel like a child in a toystore over there  ;D  ;)

One of his best Thalictrum introductions for me is Thalictrum 'Splendide'. It's like a giant pink cloud in the garden when it flowers....I beleive he sells a white form of it now, too (forgot the name)!

I think so Wim! It's exactly how I feel when I go to his nursery during the Epimediums's season.

He has new Thalictrum Wim, I don't know if he has already named all of them. He got a nice form with darker flowers than 'Splendide', 'Purple Rain'.

(photo Thierry Delabroye)

WimB wrote:

Mark, I think yo would feel like a child in a toystore over there  ;D  ;)

True enough, with the simple suggestion of "enjoy" and a link, I arrived at the state of epimedium ecstasy ;D :o

Geo wrote:

Well Mark, I feel very happy to be close to Thierry! Ideally I would be close to Thierry, Darrell Probst of Koen Van Poucke, Daniele Monbaliu of Crug Farm and Pan Global Plants...Then I would be the happiest man of the world...^^

I know what you mean Geoffrey, I feel fortunate to be relatively close to Garden Vision Epimedium, although so far as Darrell Probst's epimedium hybridization efforts, he has moved on to Coreopsis hybridization, so I'm not sure what his plans are for Epimedium from this point forward.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=442.0

Geo wrote:

It is just a small glimpse of what he will propose this year, he said that in 2013, it will be more interesting...We'll see.

Based on the link you provided, I'm sure there will be dozens of exciting new hybrids worthy of introduction.  Now, if we could only get them over here in the USA!

Quote:

Unfortunately, as many nurseries these days, he can't do everything he wants. For example, there would be very interesting to hybridize species such as platypetalum or ecalcaratum, actually two of my favorites, but species with small flowers don't pay enough attention to people, they like big colorful flowers, though showy (as for Heuchera, people tend to prefer more colorful, and this is true for many plants, unfortunately).
Epimedium brevicornu, for example, few people interested, while it is in my opinion an excellent species. As for Epimedium pubescens, which is in my top 10 here.

Geoffrey, you and I think alike, I couldn't agree more! I find some of the small-flowered ones (like E. campanulatum) pure delight, and I want to work with species like campanulatum and setosum.  I think I have photographed E. brevicornu more than any other epimedium, because a mature plant forms an outstanding clump in the garden, rather distinct from many of the other species.  I only have E. pubescens in the "Shaanxi Form" that Darrell introduced, notable for being hardier than typical E. pubescens, and it has quickly climbed to the top of my list of favorites.

Quote:

Here is an E.ecalcaratum hybrids breeds by Mark Libert in Belgium, its flowers are smaller than those of ecalcaratum, a little beauty. But unsaleable according to Thierry. (I think it's a cross between ecalcaratum and a wushanense or something like 'Amber Queen'/'Caramel')

Wow, that's a very special one, even if flowers are small they are in such abundance, and look at the orange color, superb!  Too bad such delights are considered unsaleable, but that's okay I suppose, it will take the efforts of dedicated "eppie" fans (such as ourselves) to play around with hybridization and possibly create new worthy hybrids unencumbered by the demands of large scale marketability.  I believe there is a niche market for small, neat plants, just as there is for large flamboyant ones.

Quote:

Hybridizations that Thierry doesn't make, but you do Mark, are with grandiflorum and other japanese species. Not really his cup of tea, they're more capricious here.

There strong rationale to cross Chinese evergreen species with the Japanese deciduous types such as grandiflorum.

Geo wrote:

You know, I can send seeds if anyone is interested. It's just that the seeds remain viable during shipping.

Yes, we should talk about that, I'll send a PM.  I have sent small moist-packed seed envelopes of Epimedium seed in 2010 to a number of people and they were received well, might be a good way to increases one's epimedium gene pool, and I'm happen to share.

Geoffrey, is the photo of the Thalictrum hybrid showing 'Splendide' or 'Purple Rain', sure is something special.

By the way, does anyone have experience with Epimedium elatum?  It's not particularly attractive as a flowering plant, foliage is nice but flowers are few and tiny, but it has the attribute of being among the tallest species, reaching 4' (1.3 m), and could be an asset in a hybridization program.  Isn't much information out there on this species, it's in the Stearn monograph, and in a few links:

E. elatum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387226746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387549964/in/photostream/

Description and drawing from Flora of Pakistan
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=116046&flora_id=5
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250064598

Geo wrote:

Here is an E.ecalcaratum hybrids breeds by Mark Libert in Belgium, its flowers are smaller than those of ecalcaratum, a little beauty. But unsaleable according to Thierry. (I think it's a cross between ecalcaratum and a wushanense or something like 'Amber Queen'/'Caramel')

The one in the picture is one of Marc Libert's plants? Very nice....he seems to continue the great tradition of the botanical garden of the university of Ghent, where he works!

Geo wrote:

WimB wrote:

One of his best Thalictrum introductions for me is Thalictrum 'Splendide'. It's like a giant pink cloud in the garden when it flowers....I beleive he sells a white form of it now, too (forgot the name)!

He has new Thalictrum Wim, I don't know if he has already named all of them. He got a nice form with darker flowers than 'Splendide', 'Purple Rain'.

I think he named a big white one last year, I'll ask Daniëlle when I visit her this week, If I remember correctly she had one of those in her garden last year.....

McDonough wrote:

By the way, does anyone have experience with Epimedium elatum?  It's not particularly attractive as a flowering plant, foliage is nice but flowers are few and tiny, but it has the attribute of being among the tallest species, reaching 4' (1.3 m), and could be an asset in a hybridization program.  Isn't much information out there on this species, it's in the Stearn monograph, and in a few links:

E. elatum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387226746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387549964/in/photostream/

Description and drawing from Flora of Pakistan
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=116046&flora_id=5
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250064598

Never seen this species in real life, Mark. I wonder if anyone here grows it....maybe Koen Van Poucke does?

Thought I'd cross-post here to a topic on Tobacco Rattle Virus on the SRGC Forum, a virus that affects many plants, but apparently can affect Epimedium as well.  A question was put forth as to whether E. diphyllum 'Variegatum' was actually carrying TRV, I don't think it's a virused plant at all, just a true variagated leaf form.  Regardless, something to be aware of, particularly for those people enmassing a collection of "eppies".
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8738.0

WimB wrote:

The one in the picture is one of Marc Libert's plants? Very nice....he seems to continue the great tradition of the botanical garden of the university of Ghent, where he works!

Absolutely. He earned many nice selections. Thierry sells one of them, 'ML405' aka 'Ghent Orange', nice one.

WimB wrote:

I think he named a big white one last year, I'll ask Daniëlle when I visit her this week, If I remember correctly she had one of those in her garden last year.....

Yes indeed, it's 'Splendide White', it's a really big one, more than 1,50 meters. A beautiful selection of 'Splendide'. But I don't have any photo of it.
He has 23 Thalictrums to its catalog yet.

It's 'Purple Rain' on my photo Mark, 'Splendide' is paler.

McDonough wrote:

Geoffrey, is the photo of the Thalictrum hybrid showing 'Splendide' or 'Purple Rain', sure is something special.

By the way, does anyone have experience with Epimedium elatum?  It's not particularly attractive as a flowering plant, foliage is nice but flowers are few and tiny, but it has the attribute of being among the tallest species, reaching 4' (1.3 m), and could be an asset in a hybridization program.  Isn't much information out there on this species, it's in the Stearn monograph, and in a few links:

E. elatum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387226746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387549964/in/photostream/

Description and drawing from Flora of Pakistan
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=116046&flora_id=5
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250064598

As Wim, never seen IRL.
Maybe Koen actually test it indeed, he should be asked.
I'll ask to Thierry.

Geo wrote:

WimB wrote:

The one in the picture is one of Marc Libert's plants? Very nice....he seems to continue the great tradition of the botanical garden of the university of Ghent, where he works!

Absolutely. He earned many nice selections. Thierry sells one of them, 'ML405' aka 'Ghent Orange', nice one.

Indeed, that one I know!! Daniëlle grows it too!

Geo wrote:

WimB wrote:

I think he named a big white one last year, I'll ask Daniëlle when I visit her this week, If I remember correctly she had one of those in her garden last year.....

Yes indeed, it's 'Splendide White', it's a really big one, more than 1,50 meters. A beautiful selection of 'Splendide'. But I don't have any photo of it.
He has 23 Thalictrums to its catalog yet.

It's 'Purple Rain' on my photo Mark, 'Splendide' is paler.

Yes, that's the one, both are on my "to buy" list for this year, they are "splendid"  :rolleyes: :rolleyes:  ;D

Geo wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Geoffrey, is the photo of the Thalictrum hybrid showing 'Splendide' or 'Purple Rain', sure is something special.

By the way, does anyone have experience with Epimedium elatum?  It's not particularly attractive as a flowering plant, foliage is nice but flowers are few and tiny, but it has the attribute of being among the tallest species, reaching 4' (1.3 m), and could be an asset in a hybridization program.  Isn't much information out there on this species, it's in the Stearn monograph, and in a few links:

E. elatum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387226746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387549964/in/photostream/

Description and drawing from Flora of Pakistan
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=116046&flora_id=5
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250064598

As Wim, never seen IRL.
Maybe Koen actually test it indeed, he should be asked.
I'll ask to Thierry.

I'll ask Koen, Daniëlle doesn't grow it, of that I'm sure!

This is what Koen says about this plant (which he doesn't grow!):

"E. elatum is  not garden worthy according to Mikinori Ogisu, who went to see the plant in the wild in Kashmir. There's one plant of this species in Kew Gardens, where it is slowly dying! Don't waste any energy on trying to grow this one!"

WimB wrote:

This is what Koen says about this plant (which he doesn't grow!):

"E. elatum is  not garden worthy according to Mikinori Ogisu, who went to see the plant in the wild in Kashmir. There's one plant of this species in Kew Gardens, where it is slowly dying! Don't waste any energy on trying to grow this one!"

Probably true, the link I gave showing the plant in flower, shows that the flowers are virtually insignificant, but the foliage is very attractive, crinkly textured, and of course, a tall stature.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifk11/5387549964/in/photostream/

In terms of hybridization, the wider the gene pool the better, and sometimes a surprising characteristic can be imparted to hybrid progeny.  Case in point, this winter was a nearly snowless winter, thus a true test of the "evergreen" characteristic on the various epimediums listed as being evergreen.  Most did not fair too well this year, even E. wushanense became totally browned.  So, last weekend I took stock of which ones remained evergreen in reasonable form, and trimmed all the browned foliage off the others, only the following had foliage unfazed by winter dessication:  ilicifolium, sp. "the Giant", a davidii hybrid (not davidiii itself), brachyrrhizum, stellulatum, and all of my E. membranaceum x brevicornu hybrids!  It is surprising that the hybrids would be so reliably evergreen, when membranaceum foliage mostly behaves "semi-evergreen" here and brevicornu is deciduous.  Not sure why these hybrids are so winter resilient, but I'm not complaining. :D  

Hmmm, there is a possibility that my estimate of the putative E. membranaceum x brevicornu hybrids is in error; now seeing the E. stellulatum over-wintered foliage.  The seedlings were self-sown ones, found directly under the canopy of a large E. brevicornu plant, with E. membrananceum growing so close to it that flowert stems intertwined.  My hybrid plants are 4-5 yrs old now, and at that time, while I had E. stellulatum, it was planted far away in another part of the garden, and it was only a few years ago I moved that plant closer to where brevicornu and membranaceum are located. Logistically, it seems unlikely that stellulatum was involved, but I can't rule out what the bees might do.  So, I'll take a closer look this year to determine whethjer my plants are membranaceum x brevicornu or membranaceum x stellulatum.

Left:    E. brachyrrhizum over-wintered foliage, in great shape.
Right:  membranaceum x brevicornu? or x stellulatum?

With an exceptionally early spring, followed by a record-breaking week of warm to hot July-like sunny weather, the epimediums are sending forth spring growth and their initially coiled flower stems.  The first to open a few flowers here is typically E. x versicolor 'Versicolor', a few blooms open today, but also beginning to bloom is E. pubescens "Shaanxi form" and E. "Asiatic Hybrid".  Now I'm worried about the sudden return to reality, with overnight temperatures predicted to plummet down to 19 F (-7 C) and 25 F in the upcoming couple of days.  I have no doubt that those "eppies" with just show tight growth buds will be fine, but those coaxed into soft precocious growth full of buds might be at risk of being whacked by frost.

In flower here today, the big unknown (not grandiflorum) Epimedium 'Azumino'  :-\

Hmmm, looks like a typical lavender-ish sempervirens bloom, I find that sempervirens can have more incurved or downturned spurs as compared to grandiflorum, but just a generalization.  Was it worth the wait?  ;)

McDonough wrote:

Hmmm, looks like a typical lavender-ish sempervirens bloom, I find that sempervirens can have more incurved or downturned spurs as compared to grandiflorum, but just a generalization.  Was it worth the wait?  ;)

Not very special, isn't it?? I'll keep it, but if I had a smaller garden, it's not one I would grow!

WimB wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Hmmm, looks like a typical lavender-ish sempervirens bloom, I find that sempervirens can have more incurved or downturned spurs as compared to grandiflorum, but just a generalization.  Was it worth the wait?  ;)

Not very special, isn't it?? I'll keep it, but if I had a smaller garden, it's not one I would grow!

I had grown it anyway ;D

Hello to everybody!!!
Because of getting a higher heartbeat watching some of your awesome Epimedium, I joined NARGS. I am also extremely interessted in Epimedium and i have a little collection of them. But it´s hard to find some special ones in germany. Maybe somebody has good ideas for getting more of this exciting plants. I would enjoy that. I am sorry for my english and hope it will be better in the future :-)

Hello Ernie!
A faster heartbeat is a common occurence here.  :D

I can't answer your question, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum.  It's great to see international participation!

Your English is perfect.  I am always in awe at how well non-native speakers as yourself use the language.

Glad you made it over here Ernie, welcome to the forum.  In addition to your interest in Epimedium, I hope that you'll start a topic on Hosta and show us some of your hybrids :)

After a false start here this year, with two weeks of unbelievable summer-in-winter temperatures that pushed some epimediums prematurely into growth, some of them got "whacked" by deep freezing that followed.  They will recover, just some buds and foliage lost, but they'll leaf out again.  After the heat, we returned to more normal cool weather, with nightly cold temperatures or freezing, keeping growth in check.

Today I was home after my car broke down and put into the shop for repair, but it was sunny and warmed up to 50 F (10 c) for a wonderful spring day.  The epimediums are erupting into growth, with buds just ready to expand.

One of the first to bloom is always E. x versicolor 'Versicolor', still too early to enjoy full bloom, but the expanding flowers buzzed by nectar seeking bees, with various colors of Corydalis solida growing intertwined with the epimedium shoots, made for an enjoyable garden contemplation.

Many are not photogenic at this point (because they're hard to photograph), from the dry winter remains of epimedium clumps emerge dozens of hairy croziers of flower stems.  Even the shiny-leaved species tend to be very hairy when first emerging.  Shown here is a hybrid between E. grandiflorum f. flavescens 'La Rocaille' and E. grandiforum 'Larchmont'.

Case in point, the shiny leaved E. sempervirens species, when first emerging, shows hairy shoots.  In this photo is E. sempervirens 'White Purity' shows expanding initially hairy foliage and expanding buds.

ErnieC123 wrote:

Hello to everybody!!!
Because of getting a higher heartbeat watching some of your awesome Epimedium, I joined NARGS. I am also extremely interessted in Epimedium and i have a little collection of them. But it´s hard to find some special ones in germany. Maybe somebody has good ideas for getting more of this exciting plants. I would enjoy that. I am sorry for my english and hope it will be better in the future :-)

Hello Ernie! As Germany is a member of EU it shouldn't be too difficult or complicated for you to find some nurseries! It is worse for me in Norway needing plant health certificate for everything :-\

Mark, you know how to turn the knife in the wound! ..Just kidding but I am jealous. One day I hope to get at least some more Epps in my garden!

Hello Ernie

Well, there is a wonderful thread on Epimedium here on the NARGS-forum. But I have to say to you, there is another forum with Epimedium-fanatics, the VRV-forum, people from Flanders and The Netherlands.
I would say to you: Join the VRV-forum and write in German, we'll answer in Dutch and share your knowledge with us. http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php?topic=610.0

Mark, it's unusual to have Epimediums blooming so early in Mass. Here in Holland, I have the first flowers showing on my E. x versicolor 'Versicolor' indeed. But the emerging Epimediums everywhere in the garden, it is maybe the most exiting part of the fun, growing Epimediums.

Thanks you all for wellcome me !
Of course in germany there is no certification horror here. But in germany the special nursery for epimedium is rare in germany. I know some of those nursery, but the rare epimedium (like some asiatic nature plants), i will not get here. I am newly in contact to Het Houten and Van Poucke nurseries, so i will get some nice one, when the time is right. Het Houten sends also in april but van Poucke doesn´t. So i maybe have to wait till autumn.
An other problem is that some of the Epimedium i bought , where wrong :-(  S*** happens :-) ).
I am really excited from those Epimedium pics  Geo F-W has sent in here! All sorts i never heard before! Where is this nursery of paradis? Can somebody help???
I am also excited about the foliage of all pics of you all. They seem to be so vital and without foliage dots (How do you call : fungal problem???). Do you use chemical helpers???
Yesterday i got new E.epsteinii (my old one died in the garden) and an asiatic hybrid. I like to see the asiatic in flower!
I will start to take some Fotos when the time is right !

McDonough wrote:

Glad you made it over here Ernie, welcome to the forum.  In addition to your interest in Epimedium, I hope that you'll start a topic on Hosta and show us some of your hybrids :)

Pardon? What Hosta hybrids? I have only some Hosta to fill my garden :-)

ErnieC123 wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Glad you made it over here Ernie, welcome to the forum.  In addition to your interest in Epimedium, I hope that you'll start a topic on Hosta and show us some of your hybrids :)

Pardon? What Hosta hybrids? I have only some Hosta to fill my garden :-)

Sorry Ernie, I confused your email with someone else's email that also contacted me about the forum and Epimediums.

Emerging foliage of Epimedium with sparkling sunlight.

Today i wanna send some pictures ...
I start with a Seedling close to his first blooming

Now i want to show you an Aconitum hemsleyanum 'Red Wine' (short before starting to climb)

Brunnera 'Jack Frost'  -  I like this plant

This Caulophyllum thalictroides has awesome leaves and a nice built

And last but not least - here comes Dicentra cucullaria

Hoy wrote:

ErnieC123 wrote:

Hello to everybody!!!
Because of getting a higher heartbeat watching some of your awesome Epimedium, I joined NARGS. I am also extremely interessted in Epimedium and i have a little collection of them. But it´s hard to find some special ones in germany. Maybe somebody has good ideas for getting more of this exciting plants. I would enjoy that. I am sorry for my english and hope it will be better in the future :-)

Hello Ernie! As Germany is a member of EU it shouldn't be too difficult or complicated for you to find some nurseries! It is worse for me in Norway needing plant health certificate for everything :-\

Is there no way to get it without those certificate? Do they screen all packages?

ErnieC123 wrote:

Hoy wrote:

ErnieC123 wrote:

Hello to everybody!!!
Because of getting a higher heartbeat watching some of your awesome Epimedium, I joined NARGS. I am also extremely interessted in Epimedium and i have a little collection of them. But it´s hard to find some special ones in germany. Maybe somebody has good ideas for getting more of this exciting plants. I would enjoy that. I am sorry for my english and hope it will be better in the future :-)

Hello Ernie! As Germany is a member of EU it shouldn't be too difficult or complicated for you to find some nurseries! It is worse for me in Norway needing plant health certificate for everything :-\

Is there no way to get it without those certificate? Do they screen all packages?

I think they screen all, or almost all packages. A few times some can slip through but I do not count on that. Even small parcels from friends are checked.

Well Ernie, as I said to you by PM, the nursery is in France and there is no mail order.
But I am always available to send by airmail, I live near the nursery.

I'll post new pictures soon because this weekend held the first open days devoted to Epimedium, so I would take a certain amount of pictures...
It will be for next week because I am going to discover the spring flora of Andalusia on Tuesday. ^^

This one is new in my collection, with beautiful very very small flowers.

I like this one, new too, because it's high with a beautiful color. On the second photo (n°6), on the left, there is an hybrid of 'The Giant', very high, but not yet in bloom...

Ernie, always exciting to see the first bloom on a seedling epimedium.  I have many in bud too, but they're holding back until it gets a bit warmer.  Show us again when the flowers open.  Do you have an idea about what parents might be involved?

Gerrit, there's nothing happier than a freshly sprouting epimedium garden, the leaves are nearly translucent and virtually glow when backlit with sun.  I agree that the foliage might be the most exciting part of growing Epimediums.

Geoffrey, looks like your season is the most advanced.  I do like the "very very" small flowered hybrid with hot coral colored flowers, the upright branching flower stems present the little flowers well.

Some of my too-early-sprouting epimediums got whacked by hard freezing after our unusual summer-like weather last month, but they'll all recover.  Yes, E. versicolor 'Versicolor' is always among the earliest for me, I upload another photo as the flowers fill in and create a 60 cm wide bouquet of soft peach and yellow.  Also shown, is a flat of E. grandiflorum 'Circe' open-pollinated seed that was sown summer 2011, germinating well.

I like this one : Epimedium pallidum

And now i have got a problem. This is called Epimedium grandiflorum D23, but it is evergreen (???) and flowers yellow (???)
Maybe somebody can help me, what it is....

Hi, Ernie,
What was your source for Epimedium pallidum?  Apparently, it is not actually a valid species name.  I got what was indicated as Epimedium pallidum from Fraser's Thjimble Farms some years ago (and they still list this "species" in their catalogue), however, it was later identified by Ms. Probst as Epimedium x versicolor perralchicum 'SulphureumFrohnleiten'.  I'm just wondering what is floating around under this odd name?

Lori wrote:

Hi, Ernie,
What was your source for Epimedium pallidum?  Apparently, it is not actually a valid species name.  I got what was indicated as Epimedium pallidum from Fraser's Thjimble Farms some years ago (and they still list this "species" in their catalogue), however, it was later identified by Ms. Probst as Epimedium x perralchicum 'Frohnleiten'.  I'm just wondering what is floating around under this odd name?

I have it from a nursery in germany, where i work. But i don't know where we have it from. I am sorry(i will ask my chef). But i am 100% sure that it isn't a 'Frohnleiten'. Problems with names i know too. That's really disgusting. I hate wrong named plants.

It has also been discussed on SRGC Forum, regarding what Epimedium "pallidum" actually is.  The one thing for certain, there is no Epimedium species named pallidum.  Typically it is a misnomer for E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum'.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3374.msg87326#msg87326
Epimedium "pallidum" is E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum'

My discussion on the name "pallidum".  Note: the name is also misapplied as a cultivar of grandiflorum; as E. grandiflorum 'Pallidum'.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4769.msg131282#msg131282

Ernie, in your first photo above, the plant certainly looks like E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum'.

The one that was labeled as "Epimedium grandiflorum D23" is not an E. grandiflorum type, but I'm fairly certain it is E. franchetii, although it could also be the similar species E. chlorandrum.

Oh, yes, Mark.  My "E. pallidum" was actually ID'd as E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum'.  (I was going off memory and got it wrong.)

A view on my Epimedium-row. Underneath a part of my fern collection, still dormant.

Looking good there Gerrit, with your eppies raised up like that, it must provide good viewing for those species with shy of semi-concealed flowers.  Do your ferns grow up and over the eppies, are they planted this way to provide shade for the epimediums in summer?  I'd really like to see the same view when the ferns fronds are aloft, good dual use of space to have eppies in bloom while ferns are still dormant.

Out of about 75 varieties in our garden, E. Pink Champagne may be my favorite; lovely colors, large flowers, nicely spotted foliage, and a long time in bloom.

Zonedenial wrote:

Out of about 75 varieties in our garden, E. Pink Champagne may be my favorite; lovely colors, large flowers, nicely spotted foliage, and a long time in bloom.

Good to have another Epimedium lover on the forum. Wellcome!
Your start, with that wonderful "Pink Champagne' is a very good start, because it's one of the species which are not available in Western Europe, as far as I know. And I am jealous like hell.

McDonough wrote:

Looking good there Gerrit, with your eppies raised up like that, it must provide good viewing for those species with shy of semi-concealed flowers.  Do your ferns grow up and over the eppies, are they planted this way to provide shade for the epimediums in summer?  I'd really like to see the same view when the ferns fronds are aloft, good dual use of space to have eppies in bloom while ferns are still dormant.

Wright Mark, 'space-sharing' in my garden. I have an open sunny garden with less shade.
In summer when the ferns reach their maximum size I have to cut some leaves indeed. I planned the size of ferns and the size of Epimediums. Some large ones like the wushanenses, are combined with the big ferns.
Here a picture from Oct 26 2011, a general view from my first floor and behind the Acer you see the ferns.

Really nice epimediums, everyone.  My few are not that photogenic yet.

Welcome to the forum, Don!  Glad to see you state-side.  ;D  You must have a wonderful garden, with all those epimediums and snowdrops, and all the other things you grow.  We'd love to see them all!
Your very special seed arrived yesterday.  Thank you so much!

RickR wrote:

Really nice epimediums, everyone.  My few are not that photogenic yet.

Seconded! Some have started flowering today, or better I noticed the blooming today. Had some sun and nice (for me - that is +10C and no wind) temperature.
I got hold of a new plant yesterday, E. wushanense 'Sandy Claws'  :) Hope it will grow here!

Gerrit, your photo shows well the dual-use garden space planting with ferns and eppies.  Your garden is beautiful, with the sloping rock garden and serene pool, anchored with a Japanese maple (what variety is it; Japanese maples is another area I could be totally caught up with, oh brother!).

Don, welcome to the forum, and particularly to the Epimedium topic :).  Having 75 species and varieties is a good start ;)  (actually, that's a pretty darn good collection). Is the photo of 'Pink Champagne' from this year or a previous year.  My 'Pink Champagne' is just emerging, although 'Domino', a few feet away, and from the same cross, is starting to flower.

Here are a couple "eppie" views, the first showing a garden view with E. brachyrrhizum in the background, and the second is a closeup view of the same species.

The current heat wave has brought on Epimedium growth and flowering with such speed, that day by day it's hard to keep up, particularly now during the work week.  In no particular order, I have a cavalcade of photos to show, tis epimedium season.

Epimedium x 'Amanogawa' - one of the best and most unique Asiatic hybrids.

E. 'Sunshowers', a beautiful light yellow hybrid from Far Reaches Farm and introduced by Darrell Probst.

E. pinnatum ssp. colchicum - an evergreen species with bright yellow spikes of bloom.

E. x warleyense - the red-orange epimedium, I get best flowering and deepest flower and leaf color when grown in full sun.

E. x warleyense 'Orangekonigin' - from the same cross (E. alpinum x pinnatum ssp. colchicum), similar but with paler soft salmon orange flowers.

E. grandiflorum 'Red Queen' is an impressive giant grandiflorum, my plant nearly 4' across x 2-1/2' tall.

I get lots and lots of hybrid seedlings, most are not worthy of naming, but are certainly nice additions to the garden; here's one such hybrid.  It has the purple banded foliage of E. grandiflorum v. higoense 'Bandit', but with large white flowers tinged lavender.  It is
staying compact with large flowers well presented above the foliage.

One of the many hybrid seedlings here, I love watching them bloom for the first time, and watching in subsequent years 3 and 4, to see how they clump up and develop.  Here's one with nice deep color flowers with a diffuse white stripe down the middle of each sepal.

Epimedium x versicolor 'Versicolor' is among the first to bloom, but keeps on going in subtle profusion of pastel peach flowers and bronze-toned foliage.

McDonough wrote:

anchored with a Japanese maple (what variety is it; Japanese maples is another area I could be totally caught up with, oh brother!

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum'. I grow some more maples in my garden. Like you I am fond of this genus.

McDonough wrote:

I get lots and lots of hybrid seedlings, most are not worthy of naming, but are certainly nice additions to the garden; here's one such hybrid.  It has the purple banded foliage of E. grandiflorum v. higoense 'Bandit', but with large white flowers tinged lavender.  It is
staying compact with large flowers well presented above the foliage.

Of all Epimediums you showed, I like these two most. The purple bandage, the small size (I presume) and the 'large' flowers above the foliage. Very special indeed. Maybe better than "Bandit" or 'Saturn", which are rather problematic species. Although in my garden. Both die in a second, when exposed to the summersun and grown in deep shade, they don't appreciate that.

Some Epimediums in bloom in my garden today.

1. Epimedium 'Togen'
2 and 3. Epimedium fargesi 'Pink Costellation.
4 and 5. Epimedium 'Black Sea'.

Problems with transmitting pictures. The pictures belong to reply 91.

1. Epimedium 'Togen'
2 and 3. Epimedium fargesi 'Pink Constellation'
4 and 5. Epimedium 'Black Sea'.

Mark - all beautiful!

I love your hybrids - "Lady Bandit" or "Blushing Bandit".  ;D

And "Candy Stripe"  8)

Gerrit - which epimedium is shown in pics 2 & 3? Very nice!

Julie, I like the names "Lady Bandit" or "Blushing Bandit" ;D

My regular E. fargesii is also in bloom, not showy but certainly distinctive

Gerrit: do you know if E. fargesii 'Pink Constellation' is a pinkish-flowered selection from the wild, or a garden hybrid?

Epimedium fargesii:

Eppi's are really starting to flower over here!

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Dark Beauty'
Epimedium 'Perrine's White'
Epimedium epsteinii
Epimedium x sasakii
Epimedium x warleyense
Epimedium dolichostemon
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Mukawa Genpei'
Epimedium x youngianum 'Merlin'

Wim, looks like your epimedium season is well under way.  Your photo of E. youngianum 'Merlin' reminds me that I must replace this one, which I lost in the drought 2 years ago, it's so unique with the inflated shape of the cup.

I tried looking up E. grandiflorum 'Mukawa Genpei' to see a photo, but could find any, the closest I came was a Japanese blog site, showing many Epimedium hybrids and a few species, many of the cosses shown are a study in subtlety.  But check out the tons of mind-blowing hepatica hybrids, wow!.  About the 3rd photo down is a cross identified as leptorrhizum × ゛Mukawa-Genpei".  As usual, you sure find some truly obscure Japanese hybrids ;)  This one looks very similar to E. grandiflorum 'Princess Susan'.
http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2008/03/index.html

Finally after long stretches of warm sunny days, it is cold and rainy today, the rain especially welcome.  I worked out in the rain for a couple hours digging and potting 3-year old Epimediums to donate to my local town garden club, and now dried off and inside, I'm relaxing with a cup of hot tea and pouring through the Garden Vision Nursery catalog that came yesterday, must get my order in today. :D  This year's focus is mostly to replace a dozen or more varieties I lost during the drought of 2010.

McDonough wrote:

Wim, looks like your epimedium season is well under way.  Your photo of E. youngianum 'Merlin' reminds me that I must replace this one, which I lost in the drought 2 years ago, it's so unique with the inflated shape of the cup.

Merlin is very nice indeed...a super form!

McDonough wrote:

I tried looking up E. grandiflorum 'Mukawa Genpei' to see a photo, but could find any, the closest I came was a Japanese blog site, showing many Epimedium hybrids and a few species, many of the cosses shown are a study in subtlety.  But check out the tons of mind-blowing hepatica hybrids, wow!.  About the 3rd photo down is a cross identified as leptorrhizum × ゛Mukawa-Genpei".  As usual, you sure find some truly obscure Japanese hybrids ;)  This one looks very similar to E. grandiflorum 'Princess Susan'.
http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2008/03/index.html

Tatsuo provided this link and told on the SRGC forum that it is called "E. grandiflorum var. thunbergianum '武川源平 = Mukawa (Mugawa) Genpei' ": http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamakusa/ika-005.jpg
I find the meaning of the name wonderful!

McDonough wrote:

Finally after long stretches of warm sunny days, it is cold and rainy today, the rain especially welcome.  I worked out in the rain for a couple hours digging and potting 3-year old Epimediums to donate to my local town garden club, and now dried off and inside, I'm relaxing with a cup of hot tea and pouring through the Garden Vision Nursery catalog that came yesterday, must get my order in today. :D  This year's focus is mostly to replace a dozen or more varieties I lost during the drought of 2010.

Finally cold and rainy  :o :o :o It's been cold and rainy for two weeks in a row over here!  :( :(

I'm looking forward to the GV catalogue too, probably this week!

McDonough wrote:

Gerrit: do you know if E. fargesii 'Pink Constellation' is a pinkish-flowered selection from the wild, or a garden hybrid?

Mark, the only thing I know about this, is the registration number Og93023.

Not a very nice photo of Epimedium 'William Stearn'. I'll try to make a better one later.

WimB wrote:

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Mukawa Genpei'
Epimedium x youngianum 'Merlin'

In spite of confusion with names, I like this grandiflorum "MG" very much.
Merlin is also nice. Always forgotten to buy.

Wim, I saw the posting on the SRGC Epimedium topic, but missed clicking the photo link for 'Mukawa Genpei'... a good clear photo.  I like those selections that have clear white petals and spurs compared to rich color sepals, such as 'Princess Susan', which 'Mukawa Genpei' resembles.

Gerrit, we all have species and cultivars available on the opposite side of the pond; such is the case with 'William Stearn', wish I could find it here, the foliage mottling is outstanding.

Nearly all the epimediums are in bloom here, so it's impossible to keep up, I've taken many hundreds of photographs, and once the work week hits, I have little time to post.  Here's a batch:

A small-flowered hybrid with E. davidii EMR with tiny bright yellow flowers and red-pink sepals, good foliage, high on the cute quotient.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Circe', one of the more recent (2006) introductions by Darrell Probst, this is among the deepest color forms, with lots of flowers well presented about the foliage.  It looks amazing in early bloom, with such dark cranberry red buds.

A grandiflorum hybrid that I have selected, with cherry color two-toned blooms in substantial clusters.  Unfortunately, I must have actually planted 2 seedlings instead of just one, as a small-flowered white one is growing intermingled.  I shall have to dig it up and feather out the white plant and dispose of it.  In the first view, notice all of the self-sown seedlings, possibly because of the mild winter and extra mild spring, thousands upon thousands of epimediums seedlings are cropping up everywhere.

Epimedium sempervirens 'Candy Hearts', really grown for the fabulous glossy red-edged foliage after flowering, this is the first year where it has made a respectable show with its pale flowers.  Notice that the flowers of sempervirens have incurved spurs that give a clawed look them.

Epimedium x youngianum 'Murasaki-Juji' is a cute little youngianum type. It was being overgrown by an arborvitae so last year I salvaged the plant and gave it its own unencumbered space.

So many eppies, so little time ;)

Epimedium x 'Domino' - one of the most exciting hybrids in recent years, terrific flower power, great foliage, upright mounding habit.  The flowers look peachy white at first, but will deepen as they age.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Tama No Genpei' - a really good one, with large starry bicolored lavender pink and white blooms, and dark purplish foliage, particularly when first emerging.  The leaves in front are Asarum canadense.

Hybrids from 'Tama No Genpei' are nice, here's an smallish clumping one with angled upright stems of similar color flowers.

Epimedium stellulatum is a spectacle in the spring garden, the new foliage rising about the evergreen leaves is lime green flamboyantly mottled orange, and clouds of starry white yellow-centered blooms.  Several garden views.

Two views of an Epimedium sempervirens hybrid that I have selected.  It it noteworthy on several counts, it forms a large rounded clump, the early foliage is dramatically dark purplish brown turning a lighter coffee tone, eventually green, and flowers, while pale, presented above the foliage.  Autumn color is deep mahogany.

Just a nice pic of a seedling epimedium:

And a species, supposedly E. platypetalum that originally came from Chen Yi:
(Mark has tentatively identified it as a form of E. sempervirens.)

A very nice seedling, Rick!
I don't mention your plants Mark, as I have lost words a long time ago ;)

BTW, does anybody know what kind of Epimedium that grows in the woods of Madeira? I remember seeing a lot of it (think it was only one kind) in the understory there. Don't know whether it is native or foreign though.

RickR wrote:

Just a nice pic of a seedling epimedium:

And a species, supposedly E. platypetalum(?) that originally came from Chen Yi:

That's the good thing about epimediums, there's hardly ever a seed-grown one that isn't a pleasant plant that's worth growing :)

The Chen Yi plant certainly is not E. platypetalum, a yellow spurless species.  Your plant looks like a form of E. sempervirens, based on the incurved spur form.  I'm going top order this species again from Garden Vision Epimediums, as mine perished in the drought of 2010.

I had hoped someone would pipe up with a well educated guess.

Thanks, Mark.

#1 and #2.Epimedium stellulatum 'Long leaf form'
#3 and #4.Epimedium x youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku'.

I like all the pictures you have made!

Here a some pictures from my Epimedium, i hope you also like them.

First picture is from E. acuminatum

This is E. 'Akebono'

E.fargesii 'Pink Constellation'

Close-up from 'Fire Dragon'

A type of E.grdfl.ssp.koreanum ???

An other type of E.grdfl.ssp.koreanum ??? (big flowers)

E.grdfl. 'Creeping Yellow'

E.myrianthum (this leaves let me dream of an perfect cultivar)

E.grdfl.var.higoene 'Bandit'  (It grows quiet well , Hoy)

E.pauciflorum

And now i want to say something about E.pallidum! I ask somebody about this mystery plantname.
Breader is Mr.Pagels (Germany) and it should be different to E.versicolor 'Sulphureum' and may be a seedling of that!
I don't know quiet well, but i will plant them next to each other and try to compare!

Maybe later i send other pictures of some Epimedium! And i love to see more pictures from you all!

The new gardenvision catalog is really nice :-) But the prices aren't nice :-(

I am sorry ! I mean Gerrit with the 'Bandit'!

So here are some other Epimedium

A new one :E.grdfl. 'Kotobuki'

E.omeiense 'Akame'

E.omeiense 'Stormcloud' (i like it so much)

E.Seedling

E.Seedling

E.stellulatum 'Wudang Star' (where is the difference to the long leave form??? is it a big difference?)

E.sutchuense

E.'William T Stearn'

and two pictures of my mosted loved E.grandiflorum
'Freya' also called 'Nanum Violaceum'

And an other question from me: Why do some Epimedium seem not to flower this year? (for example : E.grdfl. 'Red Beauty' , E.macrosepalum)

Some great species you grow in your garden. Most of all I like E. 'Fire Dragon', a cross between 'davidii x leptorrhizum by Robin White. A super plant with two-tone flowers. Very floriferous. Lost mine during last winter by extreme frost of - 23 in a trogue.
Another fine species, E.fargesii 'Pink Constellation', a young plant, I can see. A great future for this excellent cultivar.
The 2 koreanum-types, I'm not familiar with it, so Mark will probably answer.
Another very good choose is E.gr.var.higoense 'Bandit'. Like 'Saturn' beautiful foliage and nice small white flowers. A good one for even the alpine-garden. Vulnerable because a little sunshine will damage or destroy the plant.
A surprise which occurred last week, the GVE catalogue arrived with a lot of new species and cultivars, but not for us Ernie. Prices and shipping are to expensive. So we can only dream of it.

ErnieC123 wrote:

And an other question from me: Why do some Epimedium seem not to flower this year? (for example : E.grdfl. 'Red Beauty' , E.macrosepalum)

Your last question about flowering this year. I could asked the same question to you. Flowering on my E. this year is very irregular. I presume, due to the extreme weather conditions. !n March it was very hot. A Row of many days with temps of 20 degrees, so the plants developed stems with flowers to soon. After that a period with cold arrived a the development of flowers stopped.

ErnieC123 wrote:

E.omeiense 'Stormcloud' (i like it so much)

E.stellulatum 'Wudang Star' (where is the difference to the long leave form??? is it a big difference?)

E.'William T Stearn

and two pictures of my mosted loved E.grandiflorum
'Freya' also called 'Nanum Violaceum'

Freya is a beautiful cultivar, you are definitely Wright. Deep purple flowers.
And William Stearn, a superb Epimedium.
About stellulatum 'Wudang Star'. The difference you can see in the 'long leaves' indeed.
Stormcloud, almost brown flowers. A rare colour. I like it very much as you do indeed.

And weather is getting more worth next week for our Epimedium! Too hot for a long flower! I get disapointed now!

But i have forgoten E.wushanense nova

I like this one and enjoy it all day!

ErnieC123 wrote:

And weather is getting more worth next week for our Epimedium! Too hot for a long flower! I get disapointed now!

But i have forgoten E.wushanense nova

I like this one and enjoy it all day!

I like them all! But if I should choose one, I would take E. fargesii! (Excuses to the others.)

I can't understand why Epimediums are so hard to get in Norway.

First some comments, then some pictures  ;)

Mark,

I love your 'Bandit-hybrid', it's a lot better than 'Bandit' or 'Saturn'. (Btw Gerrit, 'Bandit' and 'Saturn' are quite easy over here, pics to follow, they aren't in flower yet!)
'Circe' is a superb cultivar. Daniëlle has it in her garden since last year...and it was to first one to catch my eye when I entered her nursery last week!

Gerrit,

I especially like your Japanese hybrids. 'Togen' and 'Ko Zakura' are stunning!

Ernie,

I love your E. acuminatum and 'Stormcloud'. I had never heard of E. grandiflorum 'Creeping Yellow' before...it looks to be a very pale yellow!
I've never seen a real Epimedium pallidum, all the one's I've ever seen, turned out to be E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum'. I hope you have the real one!

And now some pics, as promised:

Epimedium 'Akebono'
Epimedium 'Beni-Kujaku'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Akagi Zakura'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Freya'
Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee'
Epimedium 'Hagoromo'
Epimedium 'Spine Tingler'
Epimedium x youngianum 'Hana Guruma'

Hello fellow epimedium fans; much has been posted, the epimediums are looking superb, much to respond to.  But I promised myself  on this fabulous crisp sunny day, I will tear myself away from the forum and the processing of hundreds of photos, to go work in the garden instead.  But before I head out to the garden, I wanted to take a moment to comment on an ID.

gerrit wrote:

#1 and #2.Epimedium stellulatum 'Long leaf form'
#3 and #4.Epimedium x youngianum 'Kozakura'

Gerrit, I believe there might be a mixup in the one labeled as E. x youngianum 'Kozakura'.  I believe the plant you show is actually E. x youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku'  (Wim shows a photo of this).  I am posting two photos of each variety to compare.  Kozakura is an odd one, with deciduous sepals and little open cups of pale lavender with the middle of each petal stained a deeper lavender-pink.  It's not very showy, more of a curiosity.  It's in flower now (photos taken today), whereas E. youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku' is one of the earliest to flower (well, at least here that's the case), fairly showy with lots of deep red-violet flowers, until the quick-to-appear second flush of leaves overtakes the flowers.

E. x youngianum 'Kozakura'

E. x youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku'

Love the E. stellulatum 'Long Leaf Form', I have put this one in my order to Garden Vision Epimediums; I currently have the regular form and it's a favorite.  More later :)

Very nice, that 'Ko Zakura', Mark...maybe I should buy that one too!

WimB wrote:

Very nice, that 'Ko Zakura', Mark...maybe I should buy that one too!

Wim, where does one find the correct syntax of a Japanese cultivar name?  Everywhere I have looked, including the RHS Plant Finder, the cultivar name is listed simply as 'Kozakura', I have not seen it as 'Ko Zakura'.  Is there a reference for how the cultivar was first described?  Googling, it seems that 'Kozakura' is a Japanese surname.  Just curious, as I'm a stickler for details :)
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantlist.asp?code=XPou+&name=Koen...

McDonough wrote:

WimB wrote:

Very nice, that 'Ko Zakura', Mark...maybe I should buy that one too!

Wim, where does one find the correct syntax of a Japanese cultivar name?  Everywhere I have looked, including the RHS Plant Finder, the cultivar name is listed simply as 'Kozakura', I have not seen it as 'Ko Zakura'.  Is there a reference for how the cultivar was first described?  Googling, it seems that 'Kozakura' is a Japanese surname.  Just curious, as I'm a stickler for details :)
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantlist.asp?code=XPou+&name=Koen...

I always separate the words according to their meaning: Ko = Child; Zakura or Sakura = Cherry Blossom....I'm not sure if that is how it should be separated, but that's how my Japanese friends showed me the meaning of cultivar names when I was writing my article on Japanese Adonis.

Can somebody help me with these two Epimedium grdfl.ssp.koreanum? Maybe one is E.gdfl.ssp.flavescens?

Thank you before answering :-)

McDonough wrote:

Gerrit, I believe there might be a mixup in the one labeled as E. x youngianum 'Kozakura'.  I believe the plant you show is actually E. x youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku'  (Wim shows a photo of this).  I am posting two photos of each variety to compare.  Kozakura is an odd one, with deciduous sepals and little open cups of pale lavender with the middle of each petal stained a deeper lavender-pink.  It's not very showy, more of a curiosity.  It's in flower now (photos taken today), whereas E. youngianum 'Beni-Kujaku' is one of the earliest to flower (well, at least here that's the case), fairly showy with lots of deep red-violet flowers, until the quick-to-appear second flush of leaves overtakes the flowers.

Thank you Mark. You are definitely wright. This is not E.x youngianum 'Kozakura' indeed. Glad you noticed it.
Kozakura is a curiosity and I will buy it as soon as possible. I like it very much.

I like them, every one.

But Wim, Spine Tingler is magical!  And the photo is truly fantastic! :o

Much to catch up with:

Ernie, great to see 'Fire Dragon', this is a new one in my garden too, just starting to flower and I'm excited to see the excellent color of the flowers.  

Regarding the two epimediums in question, your first E. grandiflorum koreanum is actually E. grandiflorum f. flavescens.  The other one, with large light yellow flowers low on the stem with foliage high above, is E. koreanum.  The species separation between E. grandiflorum f. flavescens and E. koreanum is cited in William Stearn's monograph on Epimedium.

E. grandiflorum 'Creeping Yellow' is an unfortunate name; from researching this one, it is a very nice foliage plant, the name referring to the light chartreuse green foliage that is banded with red and specked red; the flowers reported by numerous nurseries as pure white.

E. myrianthum does indeed have spectacular mottled spring foliage, I like these types of "eppies". Never heard of E. grandiflorum 'Kotobuki', seems to be so many subtlely different Japanese cultivars.  Here's a web site with many Japanese cultivars, many I have not heard of.
http://www.shikoku-garden.com/lists/List2009/Epimedium09.htm

Wish that I could find E. grandiflorum 'Freya' here, looks like a real winner.

Gerrit, I have no problem with E. grandiflorum v. higoense, and varieties 'Bandit' and 'Saturn' with lots of strong light.  In the Garden Vision Epimedium nursery, these received almost full sun, and did just fine, as do mine.

Wim, E. grandiflorum 'Akagi Zakura' is gorgoeus, a delicious red-pink color, and low stature.  Not heard of this one before.  

Regarding E. "pallidum", there is no such published name, no such species, it is a horticultural misnomer.

Shikoku has a very nice website....it's one of the few Japanese nurseries which exports:

Some more Japanese Epimedium pictures, here:

http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamakusa/newpage9.htm (if you click the pictures, they enlarge!)
http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamakusa
http://www.ishidaseikaen.com/webshop/products/list326.html

Quote:

Ernie, great to see 'Fire Dragon', this is a new one in my garden too, just starting to flower and I'm excited to see the excellent color of the flowers.  

Wish that I could find E. grandiflorum 'Freya' here, looks like a real winner.

Regarding E. "pallidum", there is no such published name, no such species, it is a horticultural misnomer.

'Fire Dragon' is a real nice cultivar but it looses its color when getting to warm!

I would like to send you a E. grdfl. 'Freya', but i don't know what i have to do. Clear of all soil is a must so it works only in winter. Do i have to put a plant certification into the mail? If it is easy , i would send you one plant. In summer a friend of my brother from the usa visits us in germany. Maybe she can take a plant to the usa. I will ask duty officers if there is a possibility.

I heard about E.pallidum that Ernst Pagels has selected this plant. He was a a student of Karl Foerster. Pagels breaded mostly grasses like Miscanthus. But he also breaded Sedum, Salvia, Achillea, Aconitum and other. Maybe he found a seedling next to E.vers.'Sulphureum' or other. He only registered about 140 plants of many selections he made. So this might be the problem. I will plant a E.vers.'Sulphureum' next to my E.pallidum and try to find a difference.

And i just wanna say thanks a lot mark for bringing light into the dark!!! Now i know what E.koreanum and E.grdfl.v.flavescens is!

Ernie, no need to attempt sending plants here.  The person receiving plants here in the USA, originating from another country, can be heavily fined if all the proper required certificates are not in place.  It's too hard to send plants internationally, the USA restrictions are many, so please don't attempt it, although I certainly appreciate your most generous offer.

Regarding E. pallidum, the problem comes from the fact it is named as a species, not a cultivar like 'Pallidum' (which in itself is invalid to name culivars with latinised names), but the botanical binomial Epimedium "pallidum" was never a published name, it appears to be a horticultural invention that only occurs in horticulture, not in botanical science.  There are many examples of phantom names that only exist in the nursery trade.  I still believe there is no such thing as true Epimedium "pallidum", but of course, some nurseries will offer a plant named E. pallidum

Moreso than ever, I'm moving towards epimediums as supreme foliage plants.  Yes, I do love the delicate airiness of epimedium flowers, but the leaf forms, colors, and "leaf-build" (the way the leaves stack up), provide compelling attraction season long, all year long with evergreen species.  This series of 10 photos focuses on epimedium foliage and plant views.

1.  E. brachyrrhizum showing a lush second flush of lively bullate glossy foliage, the 2nd year evergreen foliage visible at the base. On my top 10 list, for gorgeous sprays of silvery pink flowers and year-round great foliage.

2.  E. brevicornu clump, another wider-than-tall cornerstone species that should be in every garden, with Corydalis nobilis in the background.

3.  E. sempervirens - MMcDonough selected hybrid.  Wow, this one is really paying off, been watching this one for 5 years.  I will be showing a spring foliage progression to show the foliar metamorphosis, the early foliage is dark chocolate color, now making a high rounded dome of layered shiny green, red-edged leaves.

4.  E. grandiflorum 'Princess Susan', the standard by which to compare bright two-toned grandiflorums by, one of the best. The flowers peak out at the periphery of a flat-topped leafy plateau.

5+6  E. membranaceum x ?stellulatum -  I have a number of these. Originally I identified these as membranaceum x brevicornu, based on the fact the seedlings were found under these two species which were growing intertwined.  However, the bright orange new growth suggests stellulatum as a parent instead, growing about 3' away (bees do fly). The foliage is the main attraction, and the fact the small white and yellow flowers keep on going until the end of August (everblooming characteristic from membranaceum).  In the foreground is E. youngianum 'Grape Fizz', a pleasant cultivar.

7.  The epimedium garden viewed in morning sunlight has special moments. Here we see E. x youngianum 'Sudama' aglow with morning light.  More about this unusual cultivar with ceropegia-like flowers that never open.

8.  In the center right is Epimedium pubescens 'Shaanxi Form'.  It is early to emerge and was whacked by a very hard frost, the stems and leaf growth hanging limp, but it has recovered.  I've been adding pieces of Bluets, Houstonia caerulea to line the paths, and they quickly bulk up into wonderful clumps that flowers for months.

9.  Here we see another putative E. membranaceum x ?stellulatum hybrid, this one smaller growing.  The lime green leaves behind it is E. pubescens, a newish form offered by Garden Vision Epimediums that is said to be partially creeping rather than clumping.

10. E. x versicolor 'Cupreum' - this plant is ancient, maybe 35 years old, and it remains an favorite with mahogany red heart foliage, each leaf with a network of green.  The coppery-pink flowers are a real attraction too.

Wonderful pictures. You have given us moments of joy watching those lovely plants, especially walking through the morning light. Thanks for sharing this with us.

What you see is a form of Epimedium davidii. Bought under the registrationnumber EMR 4125.
It is an odd one. Only cups, almost no spurs. I love my plant, because  it's a curiosity.

Please readers, comment on it.

gerrit wrote:

What you see is a form of Epimedium davidii. Bought under the registrationnumber EMR 4125.
It is an odd one. Only cups, almost no spurs. I love my plant, because of it's a curiosity.

Please readers, comment on it.

One of Martin Rix's findlings....it's a very beautiful form, but I'm biased since I like all E. davidii!

Today 2 members of the x omeiense family.

1. Epimedium x omeiense 'Stormcloud'. Mysterious coloured flowers like a stormcloud indeed.
2. Epimedium x omeiense 'Myriad Years'. Long stems, hanging down.
3. The same plant. That's me, lifting up the long stem, so you can look at the flowers.

gerrit wrote:

What you see is a form of Epimedium davidii. Bought under the registrationnumber EMR 4125.
It is an odd one. Only cups, almost no spurs. I love my plant, because  it's a curiosity.

Please readers, comment on it.

E. davidii EMR of my Favs too Gerrit; your plant looks like it is growing more robust than mine.  I also like it because it keeps sending up sprays of flowers, almost all of which I steal to dab pollen on other eppies ;)

Your Epimedium x omeiense 'Myriad Years' brings myriad tears to my eyes, what a beauty it is, don't think it is available here in the USA, will have to look :o

Enjoy my seedling with me :-)

ErnieC123 wrote:

Enjoy my seedling with me

I enjoyed your seedling very much. It is a cute thing.,whatever it is. Wonderful two-tone colour. Would you be so kind and try to separate the plant in the fall and send me a part of it. Of course I'll pay the shipping costs.

I agree Gerrit... Ernie that's a very bright color seedling, very nice, it's such fun finding your own seedlings.  After spending lots of money over the past 10 years buying very expensive epimediums building up a collection of about 200 species and hybrids, I can now rejoice in filling my garden with numerous spontaneous or manually created hybrids, many of which are equally bright and enjoyable, some even better and certainly unique, and at 0$ cost ;D

I like to show 2 epi's looking a bit the same, the flowers anyway.

1 and 2. Epimedium 'Pink Elf', leptorrhizum x pubescens, Robin White.
3 . Epimedium 'Domino'.

Thanks Gerrit and Mark! I like the seedling too. Haven't you recognize the five petals??? Thats what enjoys me the most.
Gerrit i don't want to promise , but i keep you in mind for a division of the clone. Your 'Domino' is awesome, mine doesn't flower yet:-( But i think flowers will open next week. My 'Amber Queen' is even smaller and waits for growing.
I am totaly addicted to Epimedium today because my E.latisepalum flowers now. It is a real beauty. I will take a picture!

ErnieC123 wrote:

Haven't you recognize the five petals???

Yes, funny. Only a singel flower does this? A disfigurement like my davidii.

gerrit wrote:

ErnieC123 wrote:

Haven't you recognize the five petals???

Yes, funny. Only a singel flower does this? A disfigurement like my davidii.

It is just the one flower.But i pollinated it, in the hope of something beautiful

You said it looks like the 'Pink Elf' or 'Domino', i don't think so.
The habitus looks much more like a E.grandiflorum-hybrid. I have an eye on that cultivar:-)

ErnieC123 wrote:

You said it looks like the 'Pink Elf' or 'Domino', i don't think so.
The habitus looks much more like a E.grandiflorum-hybrid. I have an eye on that cultivar:-)

Sorry Ernie, I didn't make myself clear. I compared 'Pink Elf' with 'Domino'. Not with your seedling.

Two representifs from the species acuminatum.

1 and 2 Epimedium acuminatum
3 and 4 Epimedium acuminatum 'Night Mistress'.

First photo the whole plant, second the flowers.

You may compare the difference between the species and the cultivar. The cultivar with bigger and brighter flowers.

Epimedium 'Spine Tingler', a cultivar with extraordinary spiny leaves, like a spine indeed. The flowers, very small in size. A good one for the rock garden. I like this one very much.

A very nice new Japanese form: http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2012/05/10/img_3...

Or this one: http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2012/04/21/img_2...

What do you think?

You can see more on the blog: http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2012/05/index.html

gerrit wrote:

Two representifs from the species acuminatum.

1 and 2 Epimedium acuminatum
3 and 4 Epimedium acuminatum 'Night Mistress'.

Gerrit, when I see you images of the acuminatum forms, and 'Spine Tingler', I am reminded of the expression "so close, yet so far away", by that I mean, I'm so close to the epicenter of Epimediums (Garden Vision Epimediums nursery), yet the dramatic 'Night Mistress" was only offered for a short time in the Garden Vision Nursery, and very high price too, so I didn't buy it, which I now regret as it hasn't been available for years.  Same with 'Spine Tingler', which is still very high priced, so it is another that I do not have; a fascinating unnamed species. Visiting Garden Vision last weekend, I bought regular E. acuminatum, a replacement for the species that I lost a number of years ago. :)

Wim, glad you showed that link to a dramatic color break, a pure red and white bicolor Epimedium, truly something different, nice flower form too.  Thanks for sharing this blog link.  I took a peak at another month's entry of the same blog, check out the stunning Arisaema selections and Epimedium hybrids.  I supply the direct link (Japanese text) and a Bing-translated version.
http://sainohana.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2012/04/index.html
...bing translation version:
http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fsainohana.cocolog-nifty.com%2Fblog%2F2012%2F04%2Findex.html

I have so many Epimedium photos taken in the last few weeks, but barely enough time to show many of them.  I also want to show photos from my visit to Garden Vision Epimediums last weekend during an "open nursery weekened"; these are now held at Karen Perkins charming rural location in Templeton Massachusetts (central MA).  But, the next 2-1/2 weeks I'll be traveling a great deal, and will probably not have time to post much.  So, today I post a random pair of images, Epimedium x versicolor 'Strawberry Blush', one of the more recent Garden Vision introductions.

Side by side portraits of the delicate hued blooms, one in indirect light  and the other catching sunlight.  The flowers are a very soft shade of peach-pink, with a lemon cup, these colors only visible when lifting the flowers, from above the broad-rounded sepals are a soft moonlight yellow color.  The spring foliage is intense copper color.

Last week I had the opportunity to see Epimedium x versicolor 'Strawberry Blush' in real. It was a special experience. This an extraordinary cultivar. Relatively large flowers with no spikes with soft colours, especially lightened when hit by the sunlight. The name, strawberry, is a good choose. And not to forget the foliage, copper-like bronze, the same what we see in E.x versicolor 'Versicolor'.
This cultivar is not available in The Netherlands and will not. To bad, in a globalized world. There is, as in the past, an 'iron curtain' between North America and Europe.

Mark, I'm looking forward to your pictures, visiting GVE last week and your garden photos. There are not many people looking at, but be sure, on the other side of the ocean, some are waiting for it.

Beside, hopefully is your travelling for fun and not for work. ;D ;D

A beautiful display: Epimedium grandiflorum 'Yellow Princess', Corydalis kashmiriana and Arisaema griffithii

Gerrit, glad you showed Epimedium grandiflorum 'Yellow Princess', I was away for two days (my daughter's college graduation), and just got home tonight, and this very late-emerging-late-flowering alpine selection of E. grandiflorum was just opening its first flowers.  It is a good partner with E. grandiflorum 'Cranberry Sparkle', another late-emerging-late-flowering alpine selection with first flowers just showing upon my return home.  The latter has about the deepest red-violet flowers of any epimedium.   I post a photo taken at Garden Vision Nursery last week, where their plants are ahead of mine, and looking great in early bloom.  Notice that neighboring Epimedium are in full leafage, some finished flowering, and this one is just emerging and beginning to flower, adding a month extension to the Epimedium season.

Traveling... unfortunately it is all for work.

McDonough wrote:

I was away for two days (my daughter's college graduation)

That's the good news. A very important event, congratulations, Mark. What 's she gonna do after this?

McDonough wrote:

Traveling... unfortunately it is all for work.

Okay, that's the bad news, but when you are alone in your hotelroom, with nothing to do, you may take your note book and watch the pages of our beautiful VRV-forum, particularly the Epimedium thread 2011 and maybe you will make an account and participate on the forum.

Every year the last one. Epimedium ilicifolium. Nice eppie.

I agree Gerrit, Epimedium ilicifolium is a nice eppie.  Is yours finishing up now?  You clone looks a little bit different than mine, I think there are a number of clones in cultivation, the leaves on my plants looks more narrow... I like the look of your plant with fuller leaves.  Mine is setting seed, still flowering, and making fresh new flower stems, all at the same time, t is one that I find tends to rebloom.  In the photo, you can see a few blooms, a stem with seed pods, but harder to see are several new flower stems just forming.

E. ilicifolium:

One that I'm finally impressed by (took several years to "get going"), is E. x 'Windfire', with numerous upright stems and bright yellow flowers with ascending spurs, still making a good show.  Its been blooming for weeks.

A young plant of Epimedium x 'Flame Thrower', purchased last year as a tiny start, it's already putting on a fair show of red and cream-yellow flowers, big and spidery they are.

Other species just starting to flower include 'The Giant', E. elongatum, E. membranaceum, and a number of hybrids with membranaceum... photos to follow.

My E. illicifolium is still with flowers as you can see. There are still buds and it's setting seed at the same time, just the same as your plant. Last week we had hot weather with temps between 25 and 28 degrees. Very clear intense blue skys with a hot burning sun. Dangerous conditions for eppies. I had to cover the plants with shadow material. And it's going on for the next days.

McDonough wrote:

One that I'm finally impressed by (took several years to "get going"), is E. x 'Windfire', with numerous upright stems and bright yellow flowers with ascending spurs, still making a good show.  Its been blooming for weeks.

A very special one indeed. I like the tall uprising stems. With so many yellow flowers. A very healthy hybrid, strong. With davidii-blood, I presume?

I have five Epimediums  in my garden.  Epimedium grandiflorum nanum and Epimedium grandiflorum rubrum I got three years ago are doing very well. The next two (I do not have names) are also coming up nicely. Epimedium lishihchenii which grew very well last year  is still emerging.

more pictures

Hello Krish,

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Nanum' is a really good one, stays small for a long time, but when maturing in good woodland soil, it can get fairly large (although the leaflets stay tiny and charming).  The second one is probably Epimedium x rubrum (a hybrid with E. alpinum), probably the single most common Epimedium in horticultural commerce, and a really good plant it is, one of my favorites. Hard to know about your unnamed ones, but suffice it to say, there is no such thing as a bad Epimedium, they're all so enjoyable, thanks for sharing.

A view of 2-year and 3-year Epimedium hybrid seedlings.  I evaluate them as much for foliage (if not more so) than flowers.

I have many hybrids between either E. brevicornu or the similar stellulatum, x the everblooming E. membranaceum, resulting in evergreen plants, with everblooming clouds of small white yellow-cupped flowers.

Two Epimedium davidii hybrids planted side-by-side.  On the left is a tiny-flowered hybrid of E. davidii EMR, on the right is a different E. davidii hybrid with floriferous sprays of large bright yellow flowers:

E. davidii selected hybrid on the left, on the right, a view to a nearby selected hybrid with pale speckled foliage.

Another view of of a low luminous hybrid with pale chartreuse speckled foliage; it's on my "watch list".

Two more views of the Epimedium davidiii EMR small-flowered red and yellow hybrid.  Interestingly enough, when I visited Garden Vision Epimediums nursery a few weeks back, they had a large block of plants that looked exactly like my hybrid... when I checked the label, it too was labeled as an E. davidii EMR hybrid!

The following is a selection I made a few years back, a dense squiggly-leaved plant, which is interesting to grow as a foliage plant alone.

Some nice results, Mark.  It seems I've forgotten what "EMR" means...

RickR wrote:

Some nice results, Mark.  It seems I've forgotten what "EMR" means...

Epimedium davidii EMR refers to one of the original collections of this species, EMR4125, made by Martyn Rix in the Mupin Valley (now Baoxing), the first clone of this species introduced into the United States (this info, from one of the past Garden Vision Epimedium catalogs).

Krish, back to your unnamed "eppies", I think the first one in the photo labeled "Epimedium sp.jpg" might be 'Pink Elf', which is becoming a popular item in the nursery trade.

McDonough wrote:

Krish, back to your unnamed "eppies", I think the first one in the photo labeled "Epimedium sp.jpg" might be 'Pink Elf', which is becoming a popular item in the nursery trade.

Hi Mark
I got the Epimedium as "pink champagne" from the local nursery.Thanks for identifying the other ones. Do you have any idea which Epimediums are hardy for our climate
Krish

Krish wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Krish, back to your unnamed "eppies", I think the first one in the photo labeled "Epimedium sp.jpg" might be 'Pink Elf', which is becoming a popular item in the nursery trade.

Hi Mark
I got the Epimedium as "pink champagne" from the local nursery.Thanks for identifying the other ones. Do you have any idea which Epimediums are hardy for our climate
Krish

Krish, I'm wondering if the Epimedium purchased as 'Pink Champagne' is of mistaken identity,  the spurs look much too short, and the ascending sepals as opposed to down-curved sepals doesn't quite fit, it looks more like 'Pink Elf' to me.  Here's a few links to compare.  It could be that the flowers on your plant are not fully expanded yet, but I have a hunch that it might have be a nursery mixed up.

Epimedium 'Pink Elf'
http://www.plantdelights.com/Epimedium-Pink-Elf-PP-17228-Perennial-Fairy...

Epimedium 'Pink Champagne'
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/299261/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/299262/

Regarding hardiness, hard for me to comment on plants for your Zone 3 climate; I know that many Epimediums are rated to Zone 4; so you might need to experiment.  Hardiness information for Epimedium seems to be hard to come by, although here in Zone 5, few if any have been lost directly to winter cold; those I have lost over winter were in a highly weakened state after a summer and fall of severe drought.

Mark, I agree your ID about E."Pink Elf". Krish,look at my posting, reply 137.

About hardiness: Last winter we had several days with temps up to minus 23 degrees. But we had about 20 to 30 cm of snow to cover the plants. That's essential. So, no losses here.

McDonough wrote:

A view of 2-year and 3-year Epimedium hybrid seedlings.  I evaluate them as much for foliage (if not more so) than flowers.

It's lovely to see your new promising hybrids. Just only for flowercolours one should grow them.

McDonough wrote:

Two more views of the Epimedium davidiii EMR small-flowered red and yellow hybrid.  Interestingly enough, when I visited Garden Vision Epimediums nursery a few weeks back, they had a large block of plants that looked exactly like my hybrid... when I checked the label, it too was labeled as an E. davidii EMR hybrid!

Epimedium davidii EMR4125 is one of my absolute favourites. But now I see your hybrid with two colours, I think you improved one of the best Epimediums.

One of the latest blooming eppies is Epimedium elongatum, from Sichuan Province, China, found in mountains between 9,000-12,000 feet.  It is a delightful species, with rounded crimp-edged leaves; a refined upright grower with flower stems reaching 2' (60 cm).  The first flowers are just beginning to open, small red outer sepals and yellow ascending spurs, the flowers about 1/2 the size of the great yellow spiders of E. membranaceum (also starting to flower now, another late bloomer).  Notice how glandular the stems are on E. elongatum.  Suggested to be cold hardy to at least Zone 4.

Epimedium elongatum:

A hybrid showing some appealing pastel leaf coloration, another one selected for the foliage.

A sempervirens hybrid that's very unique, although I'm at a loss to explain the possible parentage, aside from sempervirens.  The spring foliage is heavily speckled red unlike any other eppie in the garden, it has handsome sprays of white flowers, wide clear white sepals that curve downwards, and light yellow cups, the flowers quite visible at first.  Later, the foliage overtakes the stems, but flowering continues for many weeks.  This one has deep leather-red evergreen winter foliage (last photo, taken Dec. 17, 2011).

selected E. sempervirens hybrid:

Epimedium sp. "The Giant" is starting to take off, making many tangled sprays of warm tan-color blooms, great narrow spiders, the mouth of the spurs are toasted a dark brown color, marvelous!

Maybe you can start building a pergola above your giant in order to relax in its shadow.

Quote:

Krish, I'm wondering if the Epimedium purchased as 'Pink Champagne' is of mistaken identity,  it looks more like 'Pink Elf' to me.  Here's a few links to compare. 
Regarding hardiness, hard for me to comment on plants for your Zone 3 climate; I know that many Epimediums are rated to Zone 4; so you might need to experiment.  those I have lost over winter were in a highly weakened state after a summer and fall of severe drought.

Mark I think you are right.I came across many nurseries having wrong labels.But I am not very familiar with these plants to tell the difference. The Epimedium lishihchenii flowered nicely last year but the last  dry fall weather might have affected it.

sorry I messed up my quote again

Krish, Epimedium lishihchenii is one that I lost in the drought of summer-fall 2010.  While it was alive going into winter 2010-2011, it was so weakened by drought that it perished that winter; it was a large and impressive mature clump; beautiful leathery veined foliage and large yellow spider flowers.  This species was available on the Garden Vision Epimedium catalog this year, and I bought a replacement.  It shall be very interested to see how various Epimedium species and hybrids do for you in a Zone 3 climate, there's so little information out there on eppie cold hardiness, please keep reporting your experiences with them. :)

By the way, when quoting messages on the forum, you can use the quote button. If you edit any of the quoted information, perhaps to shorten it, be sure to leave the opening "quote" (the word "quote" by itself within a pair of brackets), followed at the end with a final "/quote" also within brackets, all of which is then followed by your own response.  I hope that helps :)

Is this really E. x cantabrigiense, Mark?  The flowers are very small and rather washed out.

Lori wrote:

Is this really E. x cantabrigiense, Mark?  The flowers are very small and rather washed out.

I think it could be E. x cantabrigiense indeed, a hybrid between E. alpinum and E. pubigerum; the very small flowers certainly have the right flower shape.  It is variable in color, and can be pale salmon.  There are darker red-&-yellow forms, that at least in the US, have been dubbed by Epimedium master Darrell Probst as E. x cantabrigiense "Red Form", that named form originating from Jerry John Flintoff.  Here are 4 photos of the "red form".

Late-flowering eppies continue to flower, including E. elongatum, membranaceum, and many of the hybrids with membranaceum, rhizomatosum, and davidii.  The eppies were prolific with seed this year, although I missed most of it when I was travelling to Dallas Texas one week, but did manage to catch seed of some varieties, to attempt growing on open-pollinated progeny.

Epimedium elongatum is a late bloomer, still looking good and starting to produce pods (still waiting for them to mature):

E. fangii didn't bloom this year, not sure why, but it makes up for it with truly unique and attractive foliage.

I have this one rather strange Epimedium hybrid took 4 years to flower from seed, which I thought to be a hybrid of E. rhizomatosum, but I'm not really sure what it is.  It has very late sprouting foliage, which is low, small, and crinkly, of a bluish-green color, and cascading stems of very small white and yellow flowers.  In the close-up view, notice the abundance of developing seed pods (which have been harvested and sown).

Epimedium - rhizomatosum hybrid?

One that flowers late and for a very long time (still in bloom now) is another E. rhizomatosum hybrid, with nice big yellow incurved spidery flowers.  Notice the worm on the 2nd photo, which was starting to eat into a developing seed pod; occasionally I find such evidence of worm holes drilled into seed pods of Epimedium and Iris.

Epimedium seed - bagged and cleaned.  My latest practice is to use plastic baggies to collect epimedium seed pods that are plump and ready to open, within a couple days most pods will open and spill seed on their own, the seed staying fresh and plump in the baggies.  Once cleaned, they're sown in peat flats and left out in the open in a shaded location, and kept watered all summer, for germination next spring.

I've shown this method before, but I will often use twigs cut-to-fit to divide a flat into 2-3 sections for sowing diferent varieties.  I cover the seed thinly with soil, then top-dress with fine decomposed pine bark mulch.  Last, I cover with wire mesh to keep chipmunks and squirrels from digging and eating the seed, seemingly a favorite food for such vermin.  

Left photo:    open-pollinated seed of "Mark's Star" ;) on the left and E. brachyrrhizum on the right.
Center-right: protected seed flat of open-pollinated E. ilicifolium.

Left:  in spite of continuous tunneling by moles in this bed of young 2nd-year hybrid Epimedium seedlings, most seedlings have survived the battlegrounds.

Right:  self-sown Epimedium seedlings presents a quandry, what do I do with all the seedlings?  This past winter, being as mild as it was, there must be thousands of self-sown epimedium seedlings this year.  I've been in process of digging them up and planting them in peat flats; I can fit 30 seedlings per flat.  The goal is to eventually row these out in new beds, see what they produce in their 3rd year, then decide if any are "keepers", otherwise they will be donated to the local Garden Club annual plant sale each spring.  In the photo, the flats with wire over them and nothing green showing, are some of this year's Epimedium seed that was collected and sown.

One particular Epimedium membranaceum hybrid (membranaceum x rhizomatosum) is standing out as an excellent ever-bloomer, hasn't missed a beat throughout July and August so far; keeps making low sideways branches filled with yellow flowers.  How nice to have epimediums putting on a show here in mid-late August.  In growth, the plant is tighter and lower growing than regular E. membranaceum.

And when can we look for this one at the local nursery selected and named by Mark McDonough? I would buy at least 3 specimens!

Following up on the Epimedium membranaceum hybrid shown 2 messages above (cross is E. membranaceum x rhizomatosum), it just gets better and better, flowering non-stop.  Here it is, near the end of October, and it is still forming new stems and buds, with big sprays of incurved golden flowers... there are hundreds of flowers and buds.  I have decided to name this hybrid, it's the only one out of many similar crosses that so consistently flowers non-stop into autumn. Two views of this everbloomer, photos taken on this rainy late September day.

Hoy wrote:

And when can we look for this one at the local nursery selected and named by Mark McDonough? I would buy at least 3 specimens!

  How about Epimedium 'ReMARKable' ...  Kinda catchy, wouldn't you say?
A very apt description.  The hybrid is quite a breakthrough, isn't it?

RickR wrote:

How about Epimedium 'ReMARKable' ...  Kinda catchy, wouldn't you say?
A very apt description.  The hybrid is quite a breakthrough, isn't it?

That's very funny, but I LIKE IT, a catchy name to be sure.  I was going to follow up with a plea for suggestions of a proper name, I agonize over such things. I will give it serious consideration, although a name-play that depends on capitalization might fall short.  After growing an extensive collection of Epimedium, I wondered why no one has focused on the very few late species, such as everblooming membranaceum, to a lesser extent late-blooming rhizomatosum, to develop all-season flowering epimediums. I would love to get such plants flowering in pink and other colors; there is always another year.

Another hybrid seedling catches my eye, the one shown below is E. (stellulatum x membranaceum) x various hand-made crosses, including E. wushanense "Spiney leaf form" and ilicifolium.  The leaf shape here is very spine-edged, much more so that than either species, so I look forward to seeing the flowers this spring, 3 years from seed.

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

And when can we look for this one at the local nursery selected and named by Mark McDonough? I would buy at least 3 specimens!

  How about Epimedium 'ReMARKable' ...  Kinda catchy, wouldn't you say?
A very apt description.  The hybrid is quite a breakthrough, isn't it?

I place an order of 5 plants ;) ;D

BTW, the penstemon I bought is Penstemon 'Rich Ruby'! The one I bought was wrongly labeled :-\

Your last hybrid catches my eye even without flowers, Mark!

McDonough wrote:

Following up on the Epimedium membranaceum hybrid shown 2 messages above (cross is E. membranaceum x rhizomatosum), it just gets better and better, flowering non-stop.  Here it is, near the end of October, and it is still forming new stems and buds, with big sprays of incurved golden flowers... there are hundreds of flowers and buds.  I have decided to name this hybrid, it's the only one out of many similar crosses that so consistently flowers non-stop into autumn. Two views of this everbloomer, photos taken on this rainy late September day.

It is remarkable indeed, such a non-stop flowering Epimedium. It is worth having a name and being available for customers. I would buy one for sure. But I think, this is not the end. In fact there are many species and cultivars with a better performance. The round-shaped leaves are not very special. So I think there is much to improve. Mark, this is a wonderful plant using in hybridization efforts. Perhaps a breakthrough, yes.

gerrit wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Following up on the Epimedium membranaceum hybrid shown 2 messages above (cross is E. membranaceum x rhizomatosum), it just gets better and better, flowering non-stop.  Here it is, near the end of October, and it is still forming new stems and buds, with big sprays of incurved golden flowers... there are hundreds of flowers and buds.  I have decided to name this hybrid, it's the only one out of many similar crosses that so consistently flowers non-stop into autumn. Two views of this everbloomer, photos taken on this rainy late September day.

It is remarkable indeed, such a non-stop flowering Epimedium. It is worth having a name and being available for customers. I would buy one for sure. But I think, this is not the end. In fact there are many species and cultivars with a better performance. The round-shaped leaves are not very special. So I think there is much to improve. Mark, this is a wonderful plant using in hybridization efforts. Perhaps a breakthrough, yes.

Good to hear your feedback Gerrit, I think you have summarized it well, while this hybrid is a standout for non-stop flowering, its main value is for further development of a line of everblooming Epimediums. Another desirable trait, it has very low foliage, while unremarkable, the leafage definitely remains low and rock garden sized; a favorable attribute in my opinion.

McDonough wrote:

while this hybrid is a standout for non-stop flowering, its main value is  is for further development of a line of everblooming Epimediums.

Right Mark, go on. I'm your biggest fan  :o ;D

McDonough wrote:

Another desirable trait, it has very low foliage, while unremarkable, the leafage definitely remains low and rock garden sized; a favorable attribute in my opinion.

Right again. As you know, I had the idea of creating dwarf Epimediums with my mother-plant, Epimedium davidii CPC. Unfortunately he died in what we call here a horror-winter. To get a new one, I have to travel to Belgium. I'll do this next spring. So I support your efforts to use your hybrid in a program with other existing dwarf-Epimediums, like for instance your wonderful E.lilliputian.

gerrit wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Another desirable trait, it has very low foliage, while unremarkable, the leafage definitely remains low and rock garden sized; a favorable attribute in my opinion.

Right again. As you know, I had the idea of creating dwarf Epimediums with my mother-plant, Epimedium davidii CPC. Unfortunately he died in what we call here a horror-winter. To get a new one, I have to travel to Belgium. I'll do this next spring. So I support your efforts to use your hybrid in a program with other existing dwarf-Epimediums, like for instance your wonderful E.lilliputian.

Sorry to hear of the loss of your E. davidii form.  With the prolonged drought we had two years ago, plants were so weakened that some died over winter, and others struggled for yet another year, but even with good rainfall in 2011, some finally gave up after being unrecoverably weakened the year before.  I have replaced most of them, but still have a few more to re-purchase if I can.  I can sympathize with the loss; in the world of typically long-lived Epimediums, they've become our babies :-)  They can be both difficult and costly to replace.

In this general view of several E. sempervirens cultivars and hybrids, #1 is a selected superior hybrid of E. sempervirens that mounds up beautifully, holds its flower *above* the leaves, has dark green veined leaves, awesome late autumn/early autumn foliage color, and awesome spring foliage color.  It is one to continue hybridizing with.  #2 is E. sempervirens 'Vega', a wonderful low-growing selection with very shiny foliage and bright spring and fall foliage color.  I have earmarked this one for hybridization.  #3 is a selected hybrid E. sempervirens x grandiflorum, quite intermediate, with shiny evergreen looking foliage but not evergreen in truth, and it gets the large voluminous 2nd flush of foliage (not a desirable trait). In the lower left (sorry, forget to add a number) is E. x youngianum 'Liliputian'.

In this photo, the plant pointed at with a red arrow is a very dwarf E. sempervirens hybrid, exceptionally compact and small leaved, and typical of the species, no major 2nd flush of foliage.  The compact plant is 5 years old, and remains only a couple inches tall in leaf. Once again, I find this to be an exciting find to get such a dwarf plant, that is clearly of the shiny-leaf evergreen type, but so miniature. Yet again, another one to use for further breeding.

Good to see your promising small Epimediums. I was surprised they are sempervirens-hybrids. Unfortunately I have none of them in my collection. Available here is E. sempervirens 'White purity'.

Thanks for posting.

Epimedium sempervirens is a very interesting species, in my opinion valuable for hybridization.  Its main attribute is foliage, which can show startling color in both spring and fall, among the very best in the genus. The leaves also show a distinctive sheen.  Cultivars such as 'Candy Hearts' and 'Cherry Hearts' are outstanding with glossy heart-shaped leaves intensely suffused pink and red, spring and fall.  Since the leaves are semi-evergreen, the late leaf color typically lasts until December.  In some forms, the leaves are near black maroon is spring and fall, and of course, there is that magnificent variegated form just called "Variegated #1" by Garden Vision (see links below):  

http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=178.msg1628#msg1628
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=943.0;attach=26793;...

I have every form of sempervirens that Garden Vision offered over the years (15).  Of those, the ones I like best are the two mentiond above, but also 'Vega', 'Secret Arrow', 'Aurora', and the fantastic hybrid 'Violet Queen' which is surely a more complex hybrid (suspected to be x grandiflorum v. violaceum). See link below for photo of plant in full flower: 
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=178.0;attach=3332;i...
Only this last one is really showy in flower, an example demonstrating its potential in hybridization, not only for beautiful foliage plants, but for sheer flower power too.  The species weakness is having pale so-so flowers, often half hidden in the foliage.

In order to find some Epimedium sempervirens in Europe, I searched the web. E.sempervirens 'White purity' is the only member of this species found.

Of course I knew this fantastic E. sempervirens 'Violet Queen'. Once seen, You'll never forget it. (an Epimedium-lover of course)

Well, we have to be patient and wait until this species crosses the ocean. In the mean time we'll watch your stunning pictures.