Epimedium 2013

McDonough wrote:

Lazy S'S Farm - Virginia, USA
Pretty good listing of Epimedium, some choice items and good pricing
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/E_files/E.htm

Enthousiastic people there in Virginia. They like Epimediums. But their claim, 'Epimediums are popular in Europe' is hilarious. From whom do they get this information. On the contrary: Epimediums are not popular in Europe at all. Epimediums are used here as a groundcover under deciduous trees and shrubs in parks. And as one forget to cut down the old leaves, the plants look always if they are going to die.

Many magnificent cutivars at PDN! But oddly pictures.

They are pretty popular in the UK, but I suppose it is stiil amongst a relatively small number of plantspeople. Longacre Nursery always has good established plants in good variety, and in Edrom's catalogue I've just counted up 52 epimediums, a lot of them from Japan. In our relatively dry summer climate I've found many slow and difficult to establish (and in gardens prone to rabbits they are rapidly nibbled down), so that might put some gardeners off persevering with them. Last year was very wet and they have grown much better and I would very much like to try more, especially after seeing Mark's photos over the year.

Tim wrote:

They are pretty popular in the UK, but I suppose it is stiil amongst a relatively small number of plantspeople. Longacre Nursery always has good established plants in good variety, and in Edrom's catalogue I've just counted up 52 epimediums, a lot of them from Japan.

Well, most garden lovers have some species or cultivars of Epimedium. In rock gardens or shade gardens however we should find dozens of Epimediums, but no way. For some years I visited the great gardens of Scotland, but Epimediums were hard to find.
Most nurseries have in their catalogue some standard size amount of E. Longacre Nursery f.i. 23 items. I am not impressed.
Edrom is the champion indeed. Every year new species,
The Epimedium thread on the SRGC is not very impressive

In my country, Holland some nurseries try to enlarge their assortment, but mostly you can not find what they promise in their catalogue.
Best nursery in Western Europe is Koen van Poucke from Belgium, let's say the only nursery with over a 100 species and cultivars available.
On the VRV/NRV forum, the meeting point of plant-lovers in the low countries, only 2 people post messages

Oh, and I have forgotten to mention Danielle Monbaliu from 'Epimedium Nursery', Oostkamp Belgium. Please have a look on her website.

http://www.epimedium.be/

Someone mentioned a good nursery in France too? There probably need to be some good articles or book/booklets on the genus. Japanese gardeners tend to specialise in particular types of plants and produce wonderfully illustrated books on them - I have a few on hellebores and hepaticas. With all the new hybrids of epis something similar would be good. I prefer to think of them as part of that fascinating group of herbaceous Berberidaceae, all of which seem well worth growing. (I would love to grow Ranzania for example - a very rare plant in gardens here).

gerrit wrote:

The Epimedium thread on the SRGC is not very impressive

Gerrit, check out the Epimedium 2012 topic on SRGC, it was a busy year that year, 38 pages long:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4769.0

gerrit wrote:

Oh, and I have forgotten to mention Danielle Monbaliu from 'Epimedium Nursery', Oostkamp Belgium. Please have a look on her website.
http://www.epimedium.be/

Hmmm, having some trouble on that website, language links for Nederlands and Francais work but English is not a live link. Using the French link, the plant list is 2011, it is 2012 using the nederlands link, no photos, just a list.  Photos link in the francais link is broken, photo link in nederlands link works, shows an alphabet list of links, but "E" for Epimedium is a broken link.  I'm afraid, not much to see there :-(

In the big horticultural scheme of things, Epimediums are not at all widely grown here in the US either, but they're growing in popularity, I think mostly because the gardening public, who believe nothing grows in shade, is hearing the marketing that these plants can be grown in dry shade.  The other reason why Epimediums are not as grown as widespread as, lets say, Hemerocallis (daylilies), is because they are slower to grow and propagate, and there are very few large scale growers of Epimedium.  Price has lots to do with it too, and these plants are still very expensive to purchase.

So far, have two Epimedium orders sent out, planning on placing at least two more orders, all very exciting, can't wait for spring.

@Tim, I too would love to find Ranzania, its been on my list for a long time.

For those of you on Facebook, there is an active Epimedium Group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/125709130884970/

Epimediums have at least one fan in Norway too (guess who!) but it is hard to find domestic nurseries with more than 2 species  :-\

McDonough wrote:

Gerrit, check out the Epimedium 2012 topic on SRGC, it was a busy year that year, 38 pages long:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4769.0

Mark: SRGC topic 2010: 36 pages
                          2011: 2 pages
                          2012: 3 pages

2010 was a busy and interesting year indeed.

Just got my NARGS Seed exchange order.  This year I noticed seed of Epimedium ecalcaratum, about 10 dried seed.  I ordered this as an experiment, with the belief allowing the seed to dry out this way kills the seed.  If I get any germination, I'll report back.

McDonough wrote:

Hmmm, having some trouble on that website, language links for Nederlands and Francais work but English is not a live link. Using the French link, the plant list is 2011, it is 2012 using the nederlands link, no photos, just a list.  Photos link in the francais link is broken, photo link in nederlands link works, shows an alphabet list of links, but "E" for Epimedium is a broken link.  I'm afraid, not much to see there :-(

Her website is not remarkable, but her Epimedium list is a good one. 55 items. I have to wait for her 2013 list.

Afloden wrote:

                                My preference is for species more than hybrids and new introductions of species selections has not increased as much as the numerous hybrids showing up.

Aaron

Hi Aaron, please can you tell why?

gerrit wrote:

Her website is not remarkable, but her Epimedium list is a good one. 55 items. I have to wait for her 2013 list.

I looked at both the 2011 & 2012 lists, there are some good items on there, and a good long list as you say.  A few are unfamiliar to me, such as the one listed as 'Jean O'Neill'; I looked it up and it's a lovely plant.
http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/epimedium/epimediumjeanoneill/speci...

And the list does contain lots of Og. (Ogisu) collections, which is special.

Aaron, funny how lives intersect sometimes, and one runs into people in the most unlikely places. And I agree, prices for Epimedium is very high, although now when shopping around, I see some mail order nurseries with plant prices at about $15-$18 a plant versus $28-$35, that helps.  There are many Epimedium species still missing from my collection, because some of the rare species will go for astronomical cost; I'd rather get three $18-$22 dollar epimedium varieties as opposed to one for $60 or $80.  Grow them (hybrids) from seed, and they cost only pennies each  ;)

Here are some more Epimedium nursery resources. Cumulatively, if one were to order from all of the nurseries listed so far, picking and choosing unique species and cultivars, the range of epimedium that can be had might amount 100 different types (of course, if they can be afforded).

Arrowhead Alpines - Michigan, USA
Good selection of 58 Epimedium this year, prices moderate (comparatively) averaging $15-$20
Lots of companion plants too (22 Polygonatum), and of course, rock garden plants.
Three epimedium show the wrong image, and have text questioning the identity; I can verify that
koreanum, davidii, and platypetalum are incorrect, other than that it's an excellent list.
http://www.arrowheadalpines.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65_105

Fairweather Gardens - New Jersey, USA
Another good selection of 48 Epimedium, prices moderate (comparatively) averaging $15-$20
http://www.fairweathergardens.com/genus.php?type=Perennials&genus=Epimedium

Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery - Illinois, USA
Only 8 Epimedium, all rather high priced, but has Epimedium ssp. nova 'Spine Tingler' for $26.95
Note: the name is a bit garbled, should be listed as Epimedium sp. nova 'Spine Tingler'; as this is a new unpublished species (thus the sp. or species nova part) that Darrell Probst introduced, but he wanted to be able to offer the plant under some name, so appended a cultivar name following sp. nova.  I bet if this goes uncorrected, a new "ssp. nova" or "subspecies nova" was born. In Europe, the name got further garbled with the almost humorous transmogrification from 'Spine Tingler' to 'Sphinx Twinkler', too funny, can you believe it?
http://www.songsparrow.com/2013/plantlist.cfm?type=SHADE,&startrow=1&pag...

Broken Silo Nursery - Michigan, USA
List has 34 Epimedium, some unusual ones, almost no photos, prices run the gamut from affordable to high price.
http://bsnursery.com/catalog/section_8.html

Afloden wrote:

Gerrit,

My preferences for species are because I like the taxonomic puzzles to figure out. For most genera I really prefer species or selections of species. I think its nice to have multiple genotypes of a species to see the range of variation. About ten years ago I attempted to get all the ones Chen Yi offered, but I think I have only 2 that survived. I never tried again.

Aaron

Okay Aaron, thanks for the reply. Now I understand. But I wonder: do you like Epimediums anyhow? Or is it just for studies?

Afloden wrote:

Gerrit,

Mark, yes they have come down in price, but since I became a paying student I've not had the money like I used to! 

Prices in our region (the low countries) are very moderate. The commercial breeders understand the value of low prices. Koen van Poucke f.i. tells: I have to order new species from GVE for those astronomic prices. And with packing and shipping and Phyto, I must calculate, so the first years after introduction those new species are (too) expensive. 15 - 20 Euros (20 -25 $) After this period, prices will go down rapidly to a normal 7 Euros (10$) If not, nobody will buy the plants.
Nevertheless, he can't live from it. Most income are annuals and normal perrenuals.

By the way: Why not making a circle of Epimedium lovers.Everybody from the circle makes divisions from his/her motherplants and send these within the USA.
I did this several times. Made divisions in the fall or winter, cut of most of the leaves, put them in a box and sent to my friends. Epimediums for (almost) free.

gerrit wrote:

Many magnificent cutivars at PDN! But oddly pictures.

Gerrit, I meant to respond to this earlier, the thumbnail images on Plant Delights Nursery online catalog look weird, because the "aspect ratio" is squished.  Their web page will take a full size "portrait" (taller than wide) orientated image, and squash it into a square-shaped thumbnail image, so the flowers look stretched and oddly proportioned.  Here's an example, a PDN catalog image of Epimedium 'Pink Champagne', the large portrait image, with the squashed thumbnail image version in the lower right.

'Pink Champagne' looks very attractive with those fine marbled leaves as well as excellent flowers. Mark, your story about 'Spine Tingler' is illuminating, as I have seen 'Sphinx Twinkler' in Edrom's catalogue - almost as weird a name as a lot of hemerocallis and hostas get! Keeping a track on all these hybrids must be getting more and more difficult, and it would be interesting over time to get more information on which seem to be good doers in the garden. The RHS hold trials of many plants which although they can be criticised for being in one location, get round this to an extent by having a group of gardeners who have grown them in many different places. An epimedium trial would be quite exciting!

Tim wrote:

'Pink Champagne' looks very attractive with those fine marbled leaves as well as excellent flowers. Mark, your story about 'Spine Tingler' is illuminating, as I have seen 'Sphinx Twinkler' in Edrom's catalogue - almost as weird a name as a lot of hemerocallis and hostas get!

As a matter of fact, I have sent an Email to Edrom, with the original catalogue from GVE, where the name, E.sp nova 'Spine Tingler' was listed.(Mark was helpful) I asked them to change this. And they did. And now Tim, look at the site, it is wrightly named.

Tim wrote:

'Pink Champagne' looks very attractive with those fine marbled leaves as well as excellent flowers.

Tim, I am eagerly looking for Pink Champagne. As far as I know it's not available in Europe including the UK ( ;D) I searched the web, but was unsuccessful. Would  you know a mailorder nursery in the UK ?

Afloden wrote:

Would love to trade and get free Epimedium! I doubt my collection would garner many takers in trade for the newer species selections though. I've only added one Epimedium recently from Vietnam. All the others have been in the garden for 5 years or more.

I like to add: In change of my Epimediums, I got back various rock plants. I mean to say, you may have some other treasures in you garden to trade with.

That's a good idea Gerrit, swapping offsets from one's choice epimedium for other plants.  The problem I have, is that I hate disturbing established plants, I like to see them build up into big beautiful clumps. In fact, when I to to garden Vision Epimedium "open nursery" days (2 weedkends in May) I often buy repeat plants of some of the less expensive varieties, saving me the trouble of dividing them (and possibly setting them back). 

Three years ago I dug up one big clump of E. membranaceum, split it into three pieces, one piece did okay, while the other two nearly died, taking two years to recover and show some small promising signs of growth, although they're still much smaller than what I started with.  Lesson learned, don't divide "eppies" in mid summer, at least not with the hot summers we can get.

McDonough wrote:

gerrit wrote:

The Epimedium thread on the SRGC is not very impressive

Gerrit, check out the Epimedium 2012 topic on SRGC, it was a busy year that year, 38 pages long:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4769.0

I was a bit puzzled by that comment by Gerrit as well, Mark
There are 51 pages dedicated to Epimedium on the SRGC forum - they have been read, so far, by
58,472 people     8) 8)  Quite an impressive number reading them,  I think!
Many valuable posts by Mark McD. included amongst those pages.
;)

Wow Maggi, that's am impressive number of reads! :o  

It's interesting going back in time and reflecting, that was the year I was unemployed, and for the first time fully experienced my garden from start to finish during the growing season. After 17 months, I found a new job in March 2011, a crazy one with ridiculous demands on my time and much lower pay; I had almost no time to garden, nor time to participate on the forums as I would've liked. Now, I have changed jobs, employed by a "cloud technology" firm, and I work from home (all work is done remotely), no more commuting 3-1/2 hrs daily, and flexible hours, so I'll once again be able to experience the garden, play with hybridizing epimedium, and post here, there, and everywhere ;)

Was sitting on my deck this morning, in a protected corner, having a hot cup of English tea.  Glorious sunshine, up a few degrees from morning low of 5 F (-15 C), at balmy 12 F (-11 C), contemplating my most recent bed of Epimedium seedling plants, in a spot where the ground tends to be blown bare of snow.  Observing the darkened winter foliage on my young epimediums, I'm full of anticipation for spring.  This photo was taken in December 2012, just a month ago, but the plants still look pretty much the same this morning.

Row of evergreen hybrid Epimedium plants, 2-yr seedlings going into third year, hope they bloom this spring.

Congrats on the new job, Mark!  This is great news for you and also for the site, as it means we can look forward to many more of your informative postings!

Thanks Lori, I do hope it will be a great Epimedium year and I'll be able to share it here. 

This year I'm ordering some epimedium from a several sources; thought I'd share what I'm ordering, with a summary of the price, to get a sense of what it costs to buy some Epimedium these days.

Order 1:
1  E. 'Flamingo Dancer'
1  E. 'Hot Lips'
1  E. acuminatum 'Night Mistress'
1  E. elachyphyllum  (had this from Garden Vision, but my plant died over winter)
1  E. mikinorii
1  E. platypetalum  (another replacement, mine died out from drought)
1  E. reticulatum
1  E. x youngianum 'Making Waves'

~$200 with packaging and shipping.
8 Epimedium plants, average cost with shipping:  $25

Order 2:
1  E. acuminatum "Yellow Flower"
2  E. 'Amber Queen'  (2 plants)
1  E. latisepalum
1  E. stellulatum 'Wudang Star'
1  E. grandiflorum 'Purple Pixie'

~$125 with packaging and shipping.
6 Epimedium plants, average cost with shipping:  $21

Mark, it is even more expensive for me! I have to buy plants from abroad and to add the costs of a phytosanitary certificate :-\

Glad to hear that you have gotten a new job too!

Regarding dividing plants; I usually do that early spring or late fall. But like you Mark I don't like to disturb settled plants unless they benefit from dividing. Sometimes if a visitor wants a plant I cut off at the edge of the clump with a sharp spade or something without disturbing the whole plant. Should work for eppies too, shouldn't it?

Many congrats. on the new job Mark, hope life will be an awful lot less stressful for you.

Mark - do you find that you get good establishment of the epimediums you plant? Many that I have had have been pretty small and seem to sit still for ages before getting going (if they do). When they do they go from strength to strength and, like Trond says, I'm quite reluctant to disturb them. Judging by many of the pictures of your garden you must have good conditions for many woodlanders, and maybe we are just a little too dry.

deesen wrote:

Many congrats. on the new job Mark, hope life will be an awful lot less stressful for you.

Thanks David!  Yes, the stress level will be much more manageable from now on, saving 3-1/2 to 4 hrs a day not having to commute.  Even with a car getting good mileage (Subaru Outback, 30 mpg), I still estimate I spend $3500 per year in gas for all that commuting.  Just think of how many Epimedium that can buy! ;D :o

Tim wrote:

Mark - do you find that you get good establishment of the epimediums you plant? Many that I have had have been pretty small and seem to sit still for ages before getting going (if they do). When they do they go from strength to strength and, like Trond says, I'm quite reluctant to disturb them. Judging by many of the pictures of your garden you must have good conditions for many woodlanders, and maybe we are just a little too dry.

Yes, I find that young epimedium plants establish quickly, although I do prioritize keeping them watered regularly.  The plants purchased at Garden Vision are amazing, sold in tiny square pots, growing in a very porous planting mix composed mostly of bark mulch (the eppies love this), they are always heavily rooted and ready to go. Looking back at my photographic records, the jump in plant size the 2nd & 3rd year is always surprising.  I do think that well rooted eager-to-grow small starts are sometimes better than setting out big potted plants, the larger soil mass can become a self-containing "island", versus the small all-roots "plugs" that are ready to expand in one's native soil.

I've taken a cue from GVE, and plant in a soil mixture that is 50% decomposed bark mulch (pine bark, sometimes a mix with fir bark as well), keep them watered.  At GVE, they plant on steeply mounded soil, which I tried emulating in my garden.  I'm going back to planting them more on the flat because my garden is too dry, and those on the steep incline are more prone to drought.

Hoy wrote:

Regarding dividing plants; I usually do that early spring or late fall. But like you Mark I don't like to disturb settled plants unless they benefit from dividing. Sometimes if a visitor wants a plant I cut off at the edge of the clump with a sharp spade or something without disturbing the whole plant. Should work for eppies too, shouldn't it?

I agree Trond, that's how I have increased my epimedium so far, I just cut away at the edge of a big clump to get a few small pieces, leaving the big clump intact, but even so, its very difficult work, epimediums have such dense & tough roots.  When visiting GVE nursery, the proprietor Karen Perkins is typically sitting at a wheelbarrow dividing epimediums; fascinating to watch.  She uproots the whole plant, shakes off and washes all soil off the roots, then uses sharp snipping scissors to cut rhizomes into small pieces with several growth points, and pots them up (these will be next season's sale plants). It gives me the courage to try this myself.  I think spring is the only time to divide epimedium here, late summer or autumn division would be fatal.

Thanks Mark - I will add bark when I plant from now on and keep a closer eye on watering, maybe a foliar feed to encourage the roots to grow away. The porous planting mix you mention is similar to that which Crug Farm in North Wales use for a lot of choice woodlanders; our soil is relatively heavy so I probably need to add bark and more compost to it.

The trouble with so many good new varieties is that when you lose track of a name it can be hard work finding it again! This is a plant that has established well under apple trees and it would be great to repeat this with other forms under a couple more rows of apples.

Tim, that's a most attractive Epi, but you've lost the name?  I think epimediums are excellent underplantings for trees, as long as the tree roots are not that intensive.  The only ornamental tree that I've found has such a dense surface root system to prevent most underplanting is Stewartia pueudocamellia, although Iris cristata forms have no problem skimming along the top layer of bark mulch.

McDonough wrote:

deesen wrote:

Many congrats. on the new job Mark, hope life will be an awful lot less stressful for you.

Thanks David!  Yes, the stress level will be much more manageable from now on, saving 3-1/2 to 4 hrs a day not having to commute.  Even with a car getting god mileage (Subaru Outback, 30 mpg), I still estimate I spend $3500 per year in gas for all that commuting.  Just think of how many Epimedium that can buy! ;D :o

Mark, I am delighted to hear of this further change in your working life - this is just what you needed - may you  live long and prosper ! 

Thanks Maggi, it's amazing just how such a favorable change can affect one's disposition and outlook on things. I'm so eager for the 2013 Epimedium season, I had to shelve my hybridization plans the last two years, but this year will be different, already starting to formulate my strategy.  I want to start into attempted woodland Iris hybridization too.

Now, back to perusing online Catalogs for more Epimediums, have at least 2 more orders to make.

I have a rather poor example of Epimedium stellulatum 'Wudang Star' in my garden.  It was sold as Epimedium stellatum 'Wudang Star'.  Some pics:

Mostly Jeffersonia dubia foliage in the first photo.
   

Foliage in May and November.
   

This past fall I cut down the large ash tree that shaded my dwarf epimediums.  The Emerald Ash bored will be here in the next few years, anyway.  So it is good to know I'll be transplanting/dividing at the right time this spring.  I plan to dig just before leaves emerge.

But Mark, I suspect you were at Garden Visions nursery at bloom time, and saw Karen dividing epimediums then???
So what is the best window of opportunity for dividing?

Rick, the November pic of E. stellulatum 'Wudang Star' is what I love about them, the evergreen species transform their tender spring foliage into substantial leathery leaves, beautifully netted with dark autumn/winter tones. It shall be interesting to hear of successes with Epimedium in your Zone 4, to see how many species and cultivars are up to the Michigan climate.

So far as propagating Epimedium, the best time is undoubtedly as they first emerge in March and April.  By May, they're in full flower, it doesn't hurt them to divide them at that time (although one will probably lose the flowers), or even shortly after flowering.

Continuing to summarize this year's Epimedium orders from mail-order nurseries, here is what I ordered from Arrowhead Alpines.  I'm happy to get the two forms of E. franchetii.  Garden Vision Epimediums has many more varieties than they propagate and sell, and sometimes a particular species or cultivar is offered only on one particular year, so it's easy to miss acquiring them.  Glad to see such collections getting around and becoming available.

Order 3:
1   E. dolichostemon
1   E. ecalcaratum
1   E. franchetii
1   E. franchetii cc 950065 (GVE collection)
1   E. pubescens OG 91.003 (Ogisu collection)

~$99 with packaging and shipping.
5 Epimedium plants, average cost with shipping:  $20

McDonough wrote:

It's interesting going back in time and reflecting, that was the year I was unemployed, and for the first time fully experienced my garden from start to finish during the growing season. After 17 months, I found a new job in March 2011, a crazy one with ridiculous demands on my time and much lower pay; I had almost time to garden, nor time to participate on the forums as I would've liked. Now, I have changed jobs, employed by a "cloud technology" firm, and I work from home (all work is done remotely), no more commuting 3-1/2 hrs daily, and flexible hours, so I'll once again be able to experience the garden, play with hybridizing epimedium, and post here, there, and everywhere ;)

Yes, I guessed wright. You've got a new job. I was wondering where you found time to spend on the forum while a couple of years ago you posted only on weekends. I'm happy for you and for those people, addicted to Epimediums.
Hopefully you come along with the mass amount of snow today in the NE. It was on the news here.
And also hope for no damages in your garden like last winter.

Gerrit - you asked about Epimedium 'Pink Champagne'? We have just had a talk from Julian Sutton of Desirable Plants in Devon and he lists over 50 epis in his catalogue, including 'Pink Champagne'. The trouble is - how do you actually cut your order down?! I will try a few more of these this year as the ground is prepared beneath the apple trees. At the moment the snowdrops look really good; these are a selection... groups of each variety are interspersed with ferns, epimediums, trilliums and other woodlanders which come on later.

No damage from the snow this time around, and we didn't lose power.  The temperature was very cold (about 16 F), so the snow was more powder-like, not sticking to trees and taking branches down as happens with wet heavy snow.

After evaluating a hybrid of E. sempervirens for 6-7 years, I have decided to name and introduce this one.  It has the best growth and mounding habit of any sempervirens form. In spring it presents lovely chocolate-purple heart-shaped leaflets, topped with a flurry of complimentary pale lavender white flowers.  The "leaf build" on this one is outstanding, making a domed mound of crisp leathery green hearts, each leaf with light sheen and rugose texture, neatly rimmed with red.  Even in November and December, the foliage mound is clean, green, and attractive.  It is much more drought resistant than any of the grandiflorum and youngianum types.

Epimedium sempervirens 'Passion Hearts'

foliage mound in November-December:

Very smart plant, Mark.  This capacity to vary foliage through the season is a real plus-point for Epis.

McDonough wrote:

Epimedium sempervirens 'Passion Hearts'

A stunning plant indeed. Beautiful flowers in masses above the attractive foliage in spring. Red edges on the individual leaves, which is a plus too.
A plant to propagate. Do you have a nursery to introduce it?

Tim wrote:

I will try a few more of these this year as the ground is prepared beneath the apple trees. At the moment the snowdrops look really good; these are a selection... groups of each variety are interspersed with ferns, epimediums, trilliums and other woodlanders which come on later.

An apple tree is a good protector for Epimediums. The roots going down in the depth without bothering the plants at the surface. Conifers has a superficial root system and take away all the moisture.
A deep layer of leaflitter, mixed with peat is a good soil for your new acquisitions especially your E.'Pink Champagne'

That is an extremely fine looking plant Mark. I wonder how many other epis are evaluated after significant trial in the garden like that? It really bears dividends.

Thanks Gerrit - I shall work more carefully on providing the best conditions for these plants. Our biggest problem is often long spells of summer drought, but I think once well established even the more moist-loving varieties can weather this quite well. Epimedium grandiflorum and its forms seem the most difficult, but also amongst the most delicate and beautiful, so I must try harder.

Tim wrote:

That is an extremely fine looking plant Mark. I wonder how many other epis are evaluated after significant trial in the garden like that? It really bears dividends.

That's an analysis that make sense Tim. That's also what I am worried about. A breeder coincidentally finds a new hybrid and there we are: a new eppi. I see so many new hybrids from Japan (x youngianums f.i.) and I think: ah another white, another pink, why should I buy.
Koen from Flandres tests his new arrivals a few years before selling. Sometimes I think: buy only species, not cultivars like Aaron does, but it won't work. I see a new hybrid and I have forgotten my concerns.

That certainly looks like a real winner, Mark.

And with an apropos and equally savvy marketing name, too!

Thank goodness for weekends, with some time to get caught up.

Thanks Gerrit, Tim, Rick, and Lis, for comments on E. sempervirens 'Passion Hearts'. I will have to muster great fortitude to dig up my plant this spring and divide it into little bits.

Rick: I work hard on names; keeping a small book with possibilities. I agonized over a dozen or more names on this one, who knew that conjuring names could be so challenging.  A plant will be stuck with whatever name is given, in perpetuity, so it should be a good one.  There's a recent trend to use kitsch names to make a clever pun, rather than attempting to capture some key characteristic of the plant; I'm not a fan of the puns.

Gerrit: I know exactly what you mean about seeing yet another pink, white, or lilac youngianum; they don't look much different than dozens upon dozens of similar ones.  Heck, I could name 500 or more such lookalike seedlings every year.  And then things get named completely as the result of a mistake, like Epimedium 'Creeping Yellow', or as it goes around now, E. grandiflorum 'Creeping Yellow'. A nursery was sent an unknown Epimedium described as having yellow flowers and creeping growth, but in a case of mistaken shipment, what was sent was a white flowered grandiflorum; e.g. the wrong plant, but it doesn't matter, the plant gets labeled 'Creeping Yellow' anyways!  Google it, many places have this gaffe for sale, for only $10-$14 dollars.

Tim: so much of the focus on hybridization is with flowers, when in fact, there is so much more that plants like Epimedium can offer.  In the record drought year of 2011, I witnessed first hand which epis suffered terribly from the extreme dryness, and which ones sailed through; Epimedium sempervirens is a winner for drought resistance, and as well, superb for foliage, generally much more so that the grandiflorums and youngianums. So, a primary focus for me, is to work with sempervirens.  If you can get your hands on some, they might do very well in your garden, under your apple tree.

Lis:  I know that movement of plants between Canada and USA is easier than overseas, with some Canadian nurseries shipping to USA, not sure about the other way around.  Hopefully more Epimedium cultivars will become available in all of North America, including many exciting ones from the European continent.

As I continue to go through my slides, here's a couple nice youngianum epis:

In these two views we see several epimediums. In the center is E. x youngianum 'Pink Star', an adorable little plant with perky pink and white flowers, and neat spring leaves with a coppery flush. On the right is pink youngianum 'Hanagaruma', purple grandiflorum 'Pierre's Purple' behind, and E. x 'Black Sea' (light yellow flowers) on the left.

For sheer flower-power, among the very best youngianum types is E. x youngianum 'Hanagaruma'. It has excellent foliage, small leaflets, and neat "foliage build", low and wide growing. The flowers are in dense clusters above the foliage, a lovely lavender pink. Notice a few seedling babies.

I can't understand why it is so difficult to get Epimediums in Norway :-\ It is the same 3 or 4 as always have been. So I have little hope of getting Mark's lovely 'Passion Hearts' here :(

Hoy wrote:

I can't understand why it is so difficult to get Epimediums in Norway :-\ It is the same 3 or 4 as always have been. So I have little hope of getting Mark's lovely 'Passion Hearts' here :(

Ah, Trond, not only you, I'm sure that I'll never admire it in my own garden.

Lis, you have a couple options for pimedium sources in Canada:

From the first page of this topic:
Thimble Farms Nursery - British Columbia, Canada, they do ship to the US & Canadian provinces
Excellent affordable list of Epimedium, including the new 'Atlas' from Free Spirit Nursury, about 55 varieties.
http://www.thimblefarms.com/perennials%20a-g.html

In Ontario, where you live, there is Lost Horizons in Acton, Ontario. In the PDF link below, they list a superb selection of Epimedium, including many of the newer Darrell Probst hybrids and other new favorites, 88 Epimedium varieties in their 2013 catalog.  Unfortunately, they say that they do not ship. I realize Ontario is a big place, Ottawa to Acton is listed at 460km (286 miles) via Trans-Canada Hwy, a 5-1/2 hour drive.  But maybe if you ever plan to visit Toronto, you could combine the trip with some nursery shopping ;)

Lost Horizons Nursery, Acton, Ontario
http://www.losthorizons.ca/dwnld/Lost_Horizons_Catalogue_2013F.pdf

One important thing to know about Epimedium, they come in two basic types, those that clump, and those that run. Some of those that run, can spread as much as 12" a year by underground rhizomes, choose carefully with these.  I prefer those that clump and don't spread aggressively. I like the fact that Garden Vision Epimedium catalog always mentions the spread/clumping characteristic of all those they sell.

I'm not sure about shipping plants around North America; how about to the UK too! - that list from Lost Horizon's is some list. I think epimediums may be the plants for our garden this coming year and I will follow that advice about sempervirens.

Epimediums on YouTube (includes 'Pink Champagne'), nice music too:
"Most popular Epimedium hybrids cultivars and species for gardens, Elfenblume."

Nice pictures in a colourful garden indeed.

A very enjoyable way of presenting them! Now if you were in Japan the video would be very long... there must be so many forms they grow there. It is food for thought; a video like that also looking at many other woodlanders and styles of planting would make a wonderful TV programme.

I must learn how to make videos like that.

On a separate note, one sometimes wonders how plants get misnamed in the nursery trade. Well, it's not difficult for mistakes to happen, then that mistake gets "propagated" on a major scale, and once the mistake is widespread, it is self-perpetuating. The link below is to a perennials wholesale nursery, with a single Epimedium listed as 'Fire Dragon', however the plant shown and the accompanying description clearly show E. x versicolor 'Versicolor'. I wrote to them telling of their mistake, although if past experience prevails, no corrective action will be taken.

This is NOT 'Fire Dragon', it is E. x versicolor 'Versicolor'
http://www.cliffordsgardens.com/Epimedium/Epimedium-Fire-Dragon-p-242.html

Here is Epimedium 'Fire Dragon':
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-by21A1W80ts/Te6lZKtyJEI/AAAAAAAACYI/TPJXuapmfP...

Lis wrote:

But Lost Horizons in Acton sounds promising. Even if they don't have everything they list (and they warn about this in their catalogue), I'd still find much more to buy than my poor budget would allow. I could drive down one afternoon, stay over, shop in the morning, and drive home. Sounds wonderful! Maybe I'll do!

Lis, I am a huge fan of LHorizons. I am somewhat of a nursery 'connoisseur' and there is nothing like it that I have seen in Ontario (especially for perennial selection). I am 50 minutes away by car and I still go several times a season. I do recommend that you go on a weekday to get personalized attention from one of their knowledgeable employees as there are less customers M-F and it is near impossible to find plants on your own!

As well they have a wonderful display garden so overall you need to devote several hours to get the most out of your visit.

I also strongly suggest that you put together a list of plants your want or are interested in and call them in advance so they can tell you if they are available and if you want have them put them aside for you. If you have any more questions just let me know.

I want to say hello to copperbeech and welcome to the forum!

Lost Horizons looks like really nice place.  Here in the Minnesota territories, we are always "behind the times", and pretty much devoid of really good quality nurseries with such far reaching palates.  Just little snippets, here and there.

I expropriated some lawn late last fall to create "sector" garden shown below. It isn't very large (maybe 150 square feet in total) and it receives almost no direct sunlight from June till September. In this off season I have been planning plant purchases for this space. So far spots are spoken for for these plants:

Now I am very new to this plant (Epimediums) but with a drier shade location I think I need to make use of the interesting qualities of this plant; with a very nearby large tree (basswood) and a cedar hedge there is definite competition for water and light resources.

I think I can squeeze in a (at least) couple of epimediums and I trying to decide which few among all the many varieties.

Right now I have "Amber Queen" and "Pink Champagne" on my "to get" list. Now I have seen neither of these in person so I am just going on what I see on-line. Of course I know it is personal preference but I would love to hear your recommendations given that I am only going to have 2 or 3 in the garden. So it is kind of like the topic..."If you could only have 2 epimediums which would you choose?"

(I take it that given their delicate form that they should be planted near the front of a garden to better see their spring beauty?)

Thanks for your experience.

Thanks for the welcome RR. This thread is of interest to me as I am now considering the use of epimedium for the first time this season.

Greetings copperbeech, welcome to NARGS Forum; the minute I saw the pending registration request as "copperbeach" I thought to myself this is likely to be a valid registration request (we receive hundreds of requests each day, 99% of which are automatically rejected by a anti-forum-spam plugin and lookup procedure).

To choose only a couple of epimediums, that will be tough, or at least for me it would be a great challenge to narrow down the selection. You can't do better than with the two you mention, Amber Queen and Pink Champagne, both are excellent.  May I also suggest from the Lost Horizons list of 88 Epimedium, E. stellulatum. This one slowly builds into a beautiful mound of evergreen leaves, the freshly unfolding leaves splashed fiery red-orange, changing to mottled green and red, and airy sprays of delicate little white flowers. It has season long beautiful leathery leaves that turn burnished crimson and gold in fall and winter... a year round plant.

Epimedium stellulatum in spring 2012:

Epimedium stellulatum foliage, early December 2012 on the left, January 2013 on the right, still looking vibrant:
 

I envy your plot of new garden bed ready for planting (oh, to have open ground), keep us posted later in the season on what you plant.

McDonough wrote:

To choose only a couple of epimediums, that will be tough, or at least for me it would be a great challenge to narrow down the selection.

I do realize it is a bit of a cheesy question.

McDonough wrote:

May I also suggest from the Lost Horizons list of 88 Epimedium, E. stellulatum.... a year round plant.

I really appreciate the suggestion and the corresponding pictures.

I looked on the LHorizons site and there are two stellulatumm listed i.e. 'Long leaf form' and 'Wudang Star'. Which one am I seeing in the pictures?

McDonough wrote:

I envy your plot of new garden bed ready for planting (oh, to have open ground),

It is the last 'open ground' I can get on our small residential property so I want to do it right. And I take it from your comment that your gardens are all well established with no room for expansion? I am not looking forward to this same scenario come 2014.

The available forms of Epimedium stellulatum represent different wild collections of the species. The original species introduction was the one collected by Roy Lancaster in the Wudang Mountains of China, and given the name E. stellulatum 'Wudang Star'.  It has leaves that are wider than normal. I have a plant of this selection on order for spring 2013 delivery. Rick has shown some good photos of it earlier in this topic; and if its hardy in Rick's Michigan climate, it should be hardy for you.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1254.msg21745#msg21745

The plants I showed came from Garden Vision Nursery, representing the typical species. Last year I finally purchased the one named "Long Leaf Form" (note: it's not a cultivar name, just a description in quotes). As the description suggests, this selection has longer leaves, that are narrower and more spiny-edged than the type. That said, I think they're all somewhat similar and equally desirable in the garden.

Regarding "open ground", I actually have lots of space left, but digging up new beds in my yard involves a lot of sweat equity, hard digging with a large pry bar and pick-axe to break up terrible rocky clay soil and decomposing ledge; seems that I always have way more plants that need planting than I have open beds for.

copperbeech wrote:

This thread is of interest to me as I am now considering the use of epimedium for the first time this season.

Not only the pages on this thread, but last year's, too:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=943.0

Your Ontario climate is much more amenable than mine in Minnesota.  Here, E. stellulatum is evergreen, but I often trim the previous year's old foliage, once fresh leaves are there to replace them.  The old leaves can look rather ratty sometimes.

Just placed another order, this time with EdelweissPerennials.com in Oregon. They have a really good plant offering, and easy to use & navigate website, purchasing online was simple.  Most importantly, their prices are reasonable, bought a couple epimedium at half the cost than other sources.  Check out their silver-leaved forms of Cyclamen coum and hederifolium too  :o
http://www.edelweissperennials.com/PlantGroup.aspx?plant=Epimedium

Here are the Epimediums I ordered:

Epimedium wushanense 'Caramel'  (I realize it's not the true wushanense, but I want E. 'Caramel'
E. chlorandrum
E. 'Starlet'
E. 'Yokihi'
E. x youngianum 'Beni-Goromo'

Cost with shipping was just under $100, once again coming in at that magic mailorder $20 per Epimedium cost.

In the Facebook "Epimedium Group" there was discussion about the proper name of Epimedium 'Yokihi', because sometimes it is found as 'Yohiki' (the "k" and "h" reversed), so which is correct?  Apparently it is 'Yokihi'.

When I googled Yokihi, the first thing that comes up is the famous story of Yang Kwei-fei (Yang Guifei). Not knowing the breeder's intent, we don't know the true inspiration behind the name 'Yokihi', but it does seem certain that this is the intended spelling. Its a very beautiful Epimedium, good to learn about its parentage.

NARGS forumist Saori, also on the Facebook Epimedium page, gave some information on this lovely cross, hope it's okay to quote her information "I've heard that Yokihi was bred by a nursery in Niigata and it is a cross between Epimedium membranaceum and Epimedium x rubrum".  

When I look at the plant photo link below, the foliage does indeed look very much like E. membranaceum.

couple of good photos of this unique hybrid:
E. 'Yokihi' - whole plant view:
http://www.losthorizons.ca/~losthor/images/Epimedium/e_yokihi2.jpg
...dramatic black-background closeup views:
http://www.asianflora.com/Horticulture/epimedium-yohiki.htm

I've seen this listed as high as $35 for a plant, bought it at EdelweissPerennials.com (see message above) for $15, can't wait!  For those in the New England area and you just can't wait, it is available from Garden Vision Epimedium nursery this year, at $30.

Hi Mark.

What do you know about a cross between Epimedium acuminatum and E. pinnatum. It seems to me a lovely hybrid. Look here.

http://www.visionspictures.com/index.php?module=result&searchKey=Epimedi....

This cross was showed on a German forum. Here you can find it in reply 19.

http://forum.garten-pur.de/index.php?board=24;action=display;threadid=48...

Gerrit

Hi Gerrit, I haven't heard of that cross, but it does indeed look beautiful, and distinctive; thanks for bringing it to our attention. It goes to show us, that the world of Epimedium hybridization is wide open, with so many possibilities, our gardens will be all the richer with such diversity.

By the way, my third box of mail-order Epimedium arrived today, all carefully packed; generous size plants, some in full bloom like this E. platypetalum. The order included 9 Epimedium, shipped from Collector's Nursery in Washington State, the plants arrived in awesome condition.  I planted some of them tonight after work, the plant size generous enough to divide several of them!

Mark, I envy your possibility to order Epimediums so easily! I have managed to get hold of two new (for me) ones and hope the slugs let them stay grow. The new growth is apparently irresistible for the gastropods >:(

We have experienced a slow but perfect spring season, Magnolias are glorious and didn't get whacked by surprise frosts, and Epimedium are surging forward with great speed; can't keep my eyes off of them.  Many are breaking into bloom, but tghis post just features two.

Epimedium brachyrrhizum hybrid, from a self-sown seedling, looking very much like E. brachyrrhizum, but with pristine flowers and much better floral presentation.

The next batch of photos are all of an Epimedium hybrid of mine, nicknamed by Wim Boens as 'Mark's Star'.  I do plan on introducing this one, but still not settled on what the name will be, although I've grown accustomed to 'Mark's Star'  ;)

Well, you are lucky, Mark! Here the spring is so slow that nothing seems to change from one week to the next :-\

They are both beautiful, Mark, and the name of the last one is perfect! Do you want me to test-grow it in Norway?  ;)

Lovely "baby" you have there, Mark -  the name 'Mark's Star' does seem appropriate.

Maggi

Vigorous plant that 'Mark's Star'.

Epimedium season has started here too.
For the first time I have seen Epimedium 'Mandrin Star' in bloom. Well, he is okay I think.

Mark's Star is really exceptional in so many ways: color blends, floriferousness, flowers lofty above the foliage, etc.
It seems dwarf, too (?)

And Mandrin Star ain't too shabby either. (He says in Minnesota speak.)

RickR wrote:

Mark's Star is really exceptional in so many ways: color blends, floriferousness, flowers lofty above the foliage, etc.
It seems dwarf, too (?)

And Mandrin Star ain't too shabby either. (He says in Minnesota speak.)

Thanks Rick.  Yes, 'Mark's Star' is dwarf too, truly a rock garden sized thing, thanks for your comments.  I do really like how the flowers are well about the foliage, something I'm aiming for in my hybridization.

Gerrit, what can you tell us of 'Mandrin Star'?  The name comes up both as 'Mandrin Star', but many more hits on 'Mandarin Star', which makes sense.  I can't find hardly any information on it, please tell us where it is from.  Only a couple pictures found on google, in those the flowers look like E. stellulatum or E. pubescens, but your photo shows a much more substantial flower with strong outer sepals.

I contacted Koen van Poucke, where I bought this plant and he confirmed it to be a plant with stellulatum  blood. So maybe the right name is Epimedium stellulatum 'Mandrin Star'.

I have 3 E. stellulatum and here are the pictures.

1. Left: Epimedium 'Mandrin Star', right Epimedium stellulatum 'Long Leaf Form'.
2. Flower of E. 'Mandrin Star'
3. Flower of E. 'Long Leaf Form
4. Foliage of Epimedium 'Wudang Star'
5. Flower of E. 'Wudang Star'.

Well, the 'Mandarin Star' form is very nice, looks like it has considerably larger flowers than normal.  I do think it should be called 'Mandarin Star' versus 'Mandrin Star', as 'Mandarin' is a Chinese dialect and would make sense for a Chinese species. To re-emphasize the point 'Mandarin Star' is actually a hybrid and not a species selection, notice the size of the yellow petals and cup, way bigger than typical stellulatum. :)

Both 'Wudang Star' and 'Long Leaf Form' are new to my garden, so I shall get a chance to compare them on my own plants, and to the good photos you post showing them.

The person who named it, might have his reason to choose for Mandrin. It sounds better than Ma-da-rin.
I will never change Mark's Star in Marc's Star for instance.

gerrit wrote:

The person who named it, might have his reason to choose for Mandrin. It sounds better than Ma-da-rin.
I will never change Mark's Star in Marc's Star for instance.

I understand, but then again sometimes there are obvious "typos", naming mistakes.  I would bet money that the plant is named 'Mandarin Star', as 'Mandarin' is such a hugely prominent part of Chinese culture, whereas the word "Mandrin" basically comes up odd references.  You are correct to be conservative on this matter, but maybe ask Koen van Poucke to verify the "Mandrin" versus "Mandarin" question. 

regardless whether it is 'Mandrin' or 'Mandarin' it is a nice plant! And so are the others ;)

Yesterday I visited Koen van Poucke. I bought a new stellulatum. Epimedium stellulatum 'Yukiko'.
Of course I asked him about the name 'Mandrin' vs 'Mandarin'. He confirmed the possibility the latter is right. So, Mark let's call him 'Mandarin'. The plant might be from Robin White, from Blackthorn Nursery.

Tomorrow more about my new acquisitions.

Edit. Note, the leaves are much bigger than the fragile leaflets of the other cultivars of stellulatum. His performance too. Compare it with the tiny plants, showed before

Some new species or cultivars are added to my collection after the visit to KVP

1 Epimedium grandiflorum 'Freya', an outstanding dwarf Epimedium. I lost him in a harsh winter 2 years ago
2 Epimedium koreanum 'Harald Epstein'.
3. Epimedium 'Red Maximum'. This hybrid from the hand of Koen is one of the most red Epimediums. Difficult to catch on a picture. Parents are E. grandiflorum 'Freya' and E. membranaceum. I saw this hybrid years ago for the first time in his 'treasure corner' and I was directly fond of him. A very healthy growth and the flowers above the foliage. And a deep red colour. And now Koen was able to sell him.

More to follow.

Gerrit, I see what you mean on E. stellulatum 'Yukiko', it is big and bold compared to others, should make an impressive specimen in time.  I have not heard of that stellulatum form before.

On your newly added cultivars, Freya looks nice, we're not likely to see it here in the US, although there are others with that general appearance (dwarf grandiflorum type, with the "white star" coloration on the back of the sepals); the one called 'Starlet' from Collector's Nursery has that form.

'Red Maximum' has striking flower form and color.  Do you know who selected and named that one?

On E. koreanum 'Harold Epstein', do be careful where you plant it; it is an aggressive runner with long underground stolons. I had an area with mixed epimediums and other plants, eventually decided it would be easier to move all other plants out, and just allow 'Harold Epstein' to fill the area.  At Garden Vision nursery (the original one), this epi fills about 20' x 20'.  It is beautiful, but just be aware of its spreading tendencies.  

It should be noted for NARGS Forum readers, E. koreanum was recognized only recently (2002) by Stearn as a species separate from grandiflorum, although one is likely to see the combination E. grandiflorum ssp. koreanum, but most plants under that name are actually yellow-flowered forms of E. grandiforum, known as E. grandiflorum f. flavescens. Unlike grandiflorum, E. koreanum spreads by rhizomes, 6-12" a year, and has few-flowered inflorescence or relatively huge individual blooms.

Here are a few photos of E. koreanum 'Harold Epstein' taken over the last week or so.  It is distinctive when emerging and flowering, as each growth point is like a sturdy flag pole, or street light, with the big soft yellow flowers popping off from the side of the pole, with a "flag" of young expanding leaves above.  The leaves get very large in time.

E. koreanum 'Harold Epstein'

A few photos of Epimedium 'Sunshowers', a unique and beautiful epi originating from Far Reaches farm in Washington State; I got mine from Garden Vision a few years back.  Compact and floriferous, with specked foliage, and soft yet luminous yellow flowers and broad white sepals. It has a unique appearance on account of the nearly orbicular shape of the central cup on each floret.

E. 'Sunshowers'

Thanks for your words about 'Harold epstein' and the species koreanum. Knowing this, it would be better for me not having bought this plant, but too late.  ;D
Do you mean that grandiflorum f. flavescens are all actually koreanum? for example 'La Rocaille?
I've not seen a koreanum before. It's a very rare species here. That's why I bought this 'Harold Epstein' at once.

During my visit to KVP there was in corner a box with hybrids. Huge flowering plants and Koen gave them away for almost nothing. I bought three.

Here are the pictures. First the whole plant and second the close-up.

My first impression is that of a wushanense habitus (is that a right word for performance?)
In photo 1 is maybe influence of E. amber queen.

McDonough wrote:

A few photos of Epimedium 'Sunshowers', a unique and beautiful epi originating from Far Reaches farm in Washington State; I got mine from Garden Vision a few years back.  Compact and floriferous, with specked foliage, and soft yet luminous yellow flowers and broad white sepals. It has a unique appearance on account of the nearly orbicular shape of the central cup on each floret.

E. 'Sunshowers'

That Epimdium 'Sunshowers' is a real stunner. Everything is okay. Speckled foliage, vigorous, and the attractive colour of the inflorescens.

Wow Gerrit, you got three stunning epimediums for almost nothing, the first one is exceptional!

Regarding the nomenclature confusion around E. grandiflorum f. flavescens; according to William T. Stearn in his The Genus Epimedium published in 2002, E. grandiflorum f. flavescens is a recognized yellow-flowered phase of E. grandiflorum from Japan. However the name E. grandiflorum  ssp. koreanum is also seen a lot, to describe similar yellow-flowered plants from Korea, however that name was retired in 2002 when Stearn published the Korean plants as its own species E. koreanum, putting grandiflorum ssp. koreanum into synonymy.

In horticulture the two species are typically confused, both showing up under the old (now invalid) name of E. "grandiflorum ssp. koreanum".  Most plants in cultivation under the name E. grandiflorum ssp. koreanum or even E. koreanum, are in fact E. grandiflorum f. flavescens.  So the two correct names are:

E. grandiflorum f. flavescens - a yellow flowered phase of typical grandiflorum, clump-forming non-running growth. Native to Japan.

E. koreanum (syn. grandiflorum ssp. koreanum), also yellow-flowered, but with running rhizomes extending 6-12" annually, native to N. Korea (where the "Type" was described, but also found in China)

In growth, it's not too hard to tell the plant apart, even without checking for the existence of long rhizomes in E. koreanum.  Epimedium koreanum doesn't make a tight multi-stemmed clump as is typical for E. grandiflorum, but appears as a colony of spaced-out vertical stems.  The photo below shows a form of E. koreanum that Garden Vision sells (their plants of several clones from N. Korea and some from China).  The naked stems stand nearly 2' tall, with a few yellow flowers under the canopy of unfurling leaves.  I planted mine in a rough woodsy spot where it can run.

I should've mentioned for Rick, and others in colder climates, E. koreanum is supposed to be very hardy and rated to as low as Zone 3.  Might be one to try, bearing in mind, its running-spreading growth.

Interesting picture of emerging E.koreanum.
Good to have a place for those interesting Epimediums in a wood. I don't have a woodland garden, but no complains.

Another 3 pictures of my new Epimediums, bought this weekend.

1.Epimedium grandiflorum 'Circe'
2 Epimedium campanulatum (expensive, even here) But a 'must-have'
3.Epimedium lishichenii Og 96024. The one with the registration cc 95007 was already here.
4.Epimedium lishichenii inflorescence

I hate it when this happens; while I typically plant out individual Epimedium seedlings, I must have planted two seedlings together by mistake. Half of the clump (left side) has nice heart-shaped leaves and good leaf color, but small, uninteresting partially concealed white flowers, whereas the right side of the clump has bold clusters of pink-sepalled flowers with strong rosy-red cups.  I'm going to dig this clump up while in flower, wash off all soil, and attempt to separate them out, the white one to be discarded.

Oh, Gerrit, just noticed your photo additions to the message above.  It's good that grandiflorum 'Circe' has "jumped the pond" and made it to Europe, one of the very best deep-color grandiflorums, mine is just coming into bloom too.  I agree that Epimedium campanulatum is a "must have", I see buds on my two smallish plants... I had a rather large plant that died back to a smaller size plant a couple years ago, and my second plant is a flowering-size seedling that looks identical.  I am now of the opinion that E. lishihchenii is not entirely hardy here, I have lost the plant several times, the replacement I planted out last May is one of the few casualties over this past winter.  Even among a flat of E. lishihchenii seedlings, many did not return, which is too bad as its a beautiful species both for flower and foliage.

The beauty of Epimediums.

Epimedium fargesi 'Pink Constellation'
Epimedium pinnatum ssp colchium

Exquisite photographs, Gerrit, and exquisite subjects, too!

E. lishihchenii has been growing in my garden since 2005.  It seems hardy and doesn't get any special winter protection.  It increases slowly, and sometimes I wonder if flowers are somewhat deformed due to my cold climate (?).

Rick, you've done well with E. lishihchenii, I love the heavy textured foliage on this one.  I keep losing mine, and was coming to the conclusion it's not reliably hardy here! My replacement plant bought and planted out last spring, died over winter.  I wonder if there are different clones, some more hardy than others, or perhaps, mine were in too dry a spot.  I have a few seedlings coming along, one is in bloom, but even with the seedlings, about half of them died over winter.

Gerrit, a Rick says, really fine photos, getting the small narrow flowers of E. fargesii in focus is no easy task, such plants are devilishly difficult to photograph well.  I don't have Pink Constellation, just the regular species.

I've tried and tried to photograph an allied species, E. qingchengshanense over the last couple of bright sunny days, all photos were poor, so last night I photographed in low light, and finally got photos of the flowers in focus, but I don't like the low-light photos, but it'll have to do.

E. qingchengshanense, from Qing Cheng Shan, China.

Close-up of the flowers, comparing E. qingchengshanense with the similar E. fargesii flowers, the former having a better developed cup and yellow pollen as opposed to green.

You did well, getting those difficult tiny flowers in focus. Now I know how the flowers of this Chinese-species-with-his-unpronounceable-name looks like. Something like fargesi or dolichostemon.

Well another difficult-to-get-in-focus-species is Epimedium x omeiense 'Stormcloud'. The first one coming into bloom from the x omeiense family, which I like so very much.

Gerrit, do you have a new camera? Your photos are showing some excellent detail. Seeing the E. x omeiense 'Stormcloud', I'm struck by two things, the first being the striking color (the obvious one), and the curious "hump-back" sepals, so distinctive!  I have only recently (last year) added E. x omeiense 'Akane' to my garden; the other named forms are on my list.  :)

Aaron, I only added E. dolichostemon to my garden a couple weeks ago from a mail order nursery, it would be great to include a flower from that species (next year), to show the differences in these three allied species.

The season gets ahead of me so quickly, that I miss posting because the images are no longer timely.  But, I'm going to try and offer up some Epimedium images for you all.

Epimedium x youngianum-type hybrid that I nicknamed 'Bipolar' because most of the flowers have only 2 sepals like a propeller, although a few flower will have 3 or the normal 4 sepals. Floriferous, light pink, compact, a really nice little hybrid.

Epimedium x 'Black Sea', with light yellowish orange flowers on upright stems, beautiful near black autumn foliage.

Epimedium brevicornu, a younger plant than my big mature clump, airy sprays of white and yellow flowers in abundance.

Epimedium ilicifolium, in a state showing last year's base of evergreen foliage, and then the new orangish foliage and yellow buds forming.

Epimedium hybrid ([stellulatum x membranceum] x open-pollinated), second year seedling already flowering, with flurries of faint pink ascending sepals (they look white in the photo) and light yellow cups.

Epimedium pubigerum hybrid - three views of this lucky find, with very nice textured foliage, and sprays of light yellow flowers on shorter stems than normal, a 3-year seedling plant that I'm keeping an eye on.

E. x versicolor 'Cupreum', the foliage color is outlandish, such a deep orange-rust color with green veining, and coppery yellow & pink flowers.

One of my many hybrid seedlings involving E. grandiflorum 'Dark Beauty', with amazing deep reddish-coffee color foliage, worth growing just for the foliage alone.  The average mauve-ish blooms are mostly concealed by foliage (but, oh that foliage), but will probably hold off naming anything until I get one with foliage like this and great flowers too.

McDonough wrote:

Epimedium ilicifolium, in a state showing last year's base of evergreen foliage, and then the new orangish foliage and yellow buds forming.

No Mark, no new camera. I'll try to show in my photos the beauty of the genus. No straight pictures, but a little more impressions, colour and light.

Epimedium ilicifolium, a beautiful species. typical spiny narrow leaves, the best part of the plant. Your plant Mark impressive by it's size. Good to see, the different orange colour.

Gerrit, fine photo of E. ilicifolium. I have about 4 flats of seedlings coming along, very interested in seeing what the results might be, but first bloom will not be until at least another year.

After two days of much needed rain, I walked the garden briefly this morning before work, and snapped this photo of a hybrid epimedium in the foreground, selected on account of its floriferous habit and large pink and white flowers; not anything to get named, just to be enjoyed in my garden.

Yes Mark, I do the same thing in the morning. A stroll through my garden, looking if everything is going well and enjoy the fresh morning colours. The most happy moments of the day.

1. The reddish colour of Epimedium brachyrrhizum leaves hit my eyes.  
2 and 3: And once again, the clear red and yellow Epimedium x Yokiko.

The right name must be: Epimedium x 'Yokihi'

And I discovered a funny thing.
3 years ago I bought a too expensive Epimedium, a very small one, with one flower. A big flower, beautiful violet, Epimedium macrosepalum. The next years no flower(s) appeared and the plant did not increase.
And this morning it appeared to be a spreader without blooming.

The light green leaflets are from E. macrosepalum.
The specled ones, right of it are the leaves from E. wushanense 'Caramel'

Epimedium 'Yokihi; is a real beauty, I received one a few weeks ago from a mail order nursery. Please note the spelling; on the Facebook Epimedium page there was discussion whether it is correctly 'Yokiho' or 'Yohiko', it can be found both ways, although it was verified that it is correctly E. 'Yokiho':
http://www.asianflora.com/Horticulture/epimedium-yohiki.htm

Your comment about E. macrosepalum being a "runner" caught my attention, as I haven't even considered it might be a runner, whenever I saw it at Garden Vision it's always been single plants (probably young plants that hadn't started running).  Today I was at Garden Vision and Karen Perkins has it noted right on the sign for this species, that it run. So, that means I will be relocating mine to spot where it can run freely. The flowers are totally hidden under the foliage, bur the sepals are indeed over-sized.

McDonough wrote:

Epimedium 'Yokihi; is a real beauty, I received one a few weeks ago from a mail order nursery. Please note the spelling; on the Facebook Epimedium page there was discussion whether it is correctly 'Yokiho' or 'Yohiko', it can be found both ways, although it was verified that it is correctly E. 'Yokiho':
http://www.asianflora.com/Horticulture/epimedium-yohiki

I made a spelling mistake. It must be Epimedium x 'Yokihi'.

About the spelling of this red and yellow blooming hybrid, It's in the catalogue of Koen van Poucke, written like this 'Yokihi'. The same at PDN. So no 'Yokiho'. The burden of proof lies with others.
Maybe they are confused by the name of the new Epimedium stellulatum 'Yukiko, which I showed in reply 87. (Yokiko, the h and k are close)

About the parentage: There are some guesses about the parentage from photos (you mentioned it before) Well let it be. It's certainly difficult or impossible to determinate a well-known species from a picture. How can you be sure of the parents of a hybrid from a photo. Speculations.

In the 2012 catalogue of GVE the red and yellow hybrid is listed as Epimedium x Yohiki Cc 050030, E. daviddi x E. grandiflorum 'Yubae'.

Today I took pictures of Epimedium x omeiense 'Pale Fire Siblings'. Huge flowers under horizontal stems.

Impressive flowers on that E. x omeiense 'Pale Fire Siblings', I see that I need all the forms of E. x omeiense (acuminatum x fangii), been enjoying 'Akane' which I added to my garden last year.

I believe the name of Epimedium 'Yokihi' is misspelled "Yohiki" in the Garden Vision catalog, but is spelled correctly on the Garden Vision web site:  http://www.epimediums.com/other-e-hybrids/

Another one from the intriging x omeiense family. Epimedium x omeiense 'Myriad Years'. Photo 1.

Photo 2,3,4, Epimedium brevicornu var. rotundifolia. Hundreds of diving gulls are flying around.

Mmmm, Myriad Year's is wonderful, I keep adding to my list!

I love E. brevicornu, but I've been trying to chase down the name "var. rotundifolia". I don't see that such a name was ever published, although the one synonym that E. brevicornu has, is E. rotundatum (1934).  That synonym is confirmed in Stearn's The Genus Epimedium, the online Flora of China, The Plant List, and others.  In this species the leaves are described as "acute or rounded", but somehow the name morphed into "var. rotundifolia" or "forma rotundatum" for those plants having more rounded leaves, but it's not a recognized name even though seen in nurseries as such. But don't let that put anyone off, it's a delightful species with clouds of white and yellow flowers.
"http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008368
http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/epimedium/epimediumbrevicornurotund...

The last of my 4 members of the x omeiense family. With the striking colours of Epimedium x omeiense 'Akane'.

That's what I like, a complete set of something ;)

Gerrit, you did much better that I did photographing 'Akane', I've tried three times now, and each time the photos are blurry.  It's a wonderful color, nothing else quite like it, your plants show well raised up a bit, to see the bright flowers.  I'm going to move my small plant so that it can be seen and photographed better.

Actually this was my second attempt, from a dozen pictures this one was okay,

You are showing us some superb Epimedium Gerrit,  :o

After seeing some straggly, weedy looking examples at various sales and shows we'd all but given up on this Genus, although the flowers have always attracted us.
After seeing all the lovely posts on this thread by a number of forumists, we think its about time we give them a go,  ;D. Hope we can achieve similar results.
Are there any 'trade secrets' to achieving such good results??

Longma wrote:

You are showing us some superb Epimedium Gerrit,  :o

Are there any 'trade secrets' to achieving such good results??

You have firstly to get hold of them! That's my biggest problem although I don't suspect I'll ever grow anything competing with Mark's or Gerrit's plants!

gerrit wrote:

Actually this was my second attempt, from a dozen pictures this one was okay,

And I have been doing this more and more, too, especially when laying on my stomach isn't an option in the middle of the garden!  I hold my camera near the ground and point at the subject and take a bunch of pics.

  One (or more) of them is bound to look good. ;D

Longma wrote:

You are showing us some superb Epimedium Gerrit,  :o

After seeing some straggly, weedy looking examples at various sales and shows we'd all but given up on this Genus, although the flowers have always attracted us.
After seeing all the lovely posts on this thread by a number of forumists, we think its about time we give them a go,  ;D. Hope we can achieve similar results.
Are there any 'trade secrets' to achieving such good results??

I remember the first time, I was in a nursery in order to buy some Epimediums. How I was disappointed by the sight of those poor 'weedy looking' plants. Nevertheless some specimens went over into my garden. From the moment they 'tasted' the new and fertile soil, they started to grow with new leaflets.
And now I am dedicated to this genus.

Another beautiful species is Epimedium wushanense. In this case it is cultivar with no name. Darell Probst gave it a temperarely working-name 'nova'. And as far I know, he's got no properly name. And I am not sad about that.

Epimedium wushanense nova.

RickR wrote:

gerrit wrote:

Actually this was my second attempt, from a dozen pictures this one was okay,

And I have been doing this more and more, too, especially when laying on my stomach isn't an option in the middle of the garden!  I hold my camera near the ground and point at the subject and take a bunch of pics.

  One (or more) of them is bound to look good. ;D

Rick, I am not always that lucky! My new camera has too many options and I don't find the one I want when I need it! And the wind seems always to blow where I am trying to take a picture although it is totally quiet elsewhere :-\

Gerrit, although wushanense can't compete in flower power with some of the others you have shown, it looks interesting! How does it look from a little greater distance?

Trond - shouldn't be too hard for Ron (Longma) to find choice Epimedium in England, with the many find nurseries in the UK.

Gerrit, I don't remember Darrell Probst ever having a form of E. wushanense given as working name of 'nova', the term 'nova' is usually in conjunction with the syntax "PlantGenus sp. nova", indicating a new as-of-yet unpublished species for a given genus.  Darrell did introduce a dwarf extra spiny-leafed for of E. wushanense which was offered as E. wushanense "Spiny leaved forms", in other words, given a plant description versus a cultivar name.  Eventually, the plant was given a cultivar name by Tony Avent called E. wushanense 'Sandy Claws', a most regrettable name in opinion.

Ron, you asked for trade secrets on growing Epimedium.  Here are a few that come to mind.  Given them adequate space. They flourish with more light (sun) than shade in many cases; leaf coloring and flowering is best in a deciduous woodland that gets lots of sun when Epimedium are emerging and flowering.  While delicate looking, they do great in sun for at least a portion of the day, with foliage coloring best when there is sufficient sun. While fairly drought resistant, they do best with adequate moisture, the ones I have lost was due primarily to being stressed by drought.  They're not overly fussy about soil, but mixing in lots of decomposed bark mulch to a heavy soil works wonders and is much to their liking.

I have missed posting to these pages, will try and catch up.  Here's a selection of Epimedium photos taken this past weekend (May 18-19, 2013).

Probably the very best of Darrell Probst's epimedium hybrids is one called 'Pink Champagne'.  Mine is a young plant that's just getting going, but the plant form, speckled foliage, and strawberry pink flowers in above-the-foliage sprays make this a real winner.

Epimedium 'Lemon Zest' is yet another of Darrell's excellent hybrids, this one a vigorous hybrid of E. ecalcaratum, with many stems and innumerable yellow bells, with with a hint of vestigial spurs, a delightful long-flowering plant.

I often get colorful seedling-grown plants; here's one that has very bright foliage, worth growing just for the leaves.  This is a 3 year old plant from seed.

The next two show a selected hybrid of mine, between E. stellulatum and membranaceum, brilliant mottled foliage when first emerging then turning green, and airy sprays of white and yellow flowers that last until August.

Here's an odd one, E. x youngianum 'Sudama', a Japanese cultivar with curious small balloon-like red flowers that never open, and mostly concealed under the foliage.  However, the "foliage build" is excellent, with bronzy leaves amassed into a "table" of bright leaflets.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Cranberry Sparkle' is a wild selection from high mountain location in Japan; rather late to emerge and late flowering, it has the closest to a true red flower of any Epimedium.  Another one introduced by Darrell Probst.

The small thimble-like yellow flowers of E. campanulatum are so cute, lacking any spurs, one of my favorites. In this vignette, we see three color forms of Iris cristata in the background.

In this view are two angle showing E. grandiflorum var. coelestre 'Alpine Beauty'.  This variety represents one of the few truly alpine Epimedium, emerging later and flowering later than most grandiforum types.  The flowers are a soft palest cream yellow, but with such substance and extra wide sepals. The foliage is also dense growing and an apply green color; a very fine epimedium.  The cultivar named 'Alpine Beauty' is a selected form introduced by Darrell Probst.

These two photos show two hybrids grown from E. davidii EMR (the 3 letters represent a collector's initials).  The resulting hybrids are rather different as you can see. The one on the left has clouds of tiny yellow flowers with pink sepals.  The one of the right is a prize, extremely floriferous with large elegant bright yellow spider flowers.  My original E. davidii EMR is a slow weak grower, I'm lucky to get 20 flowers in a season, but this hybrid from it produces impressive swarms of bright bloom.

McDonough wrote:

Gerrit, I don't remember Darrell Probst ever having a form of E. wushanense given as working name of 'nova', the term 'nova' is usually in conjunction with the syntax "PlantGenus sp. nova", indicating a new as-of-yet unpublished species.

While fairly drought resistant, they do best with adequate moisture, the ones I have lost was due primarily to being stressed by drought. 

Mark. I can't remember where I've got the story of wushanense nova. But true or not, it is plausible or perhaps likely.

About drought resistance: it's good to repeat this. Epimediums can suffer from drought indeed. And even pass away. Altough most of the nurseries regularly claim they are drought resist. In my garden I lost several species under an overhanging conifer. The Epimediums had to compete with the root system of this thirsty conifer. And they lost the unequal battle.

McDonough wrote:

Probably the very best of Darrell Probst's epimedium hybrids is one called 'Pink Champagne'.  Mine is a young plant that's just getting going, but the plant form, speckled foliage, and strawberry pink flowers in above-the-foliage sprays make this a real winner.

Epimedium 'Lemon Zest' is yet another of Darrell's excellent hybrids, this one a vigorous hybrid of E. ecalcaratum, with many stems and innumerable yellow bells, with with a hint of vestigial spurs, a delightful long-flowering plant.

The next two show a selected hybrid of mine, between E. stellulatum and membranaceum, brilliant mottled foliage when first emerging then turning green, and airy sprays of white and yellow flowers that last until August.

The small thimble-like yellow flowers of E. campanulatum are so cute, lacking any spurs, one of my favorites. In this vignette, we see three color forms of Iris cristata in the background.

Thanks a lot for the new information. Not a thing for the 'hurry-up' Face book page. We should reflect on this and read again and re-look the photos.

About 'Pink Champagne'. Now you may post pictures of this stunner without making me green of jealousy. At last I've got him. A very generous gift by Ben from 'The Houten Huys'.

You showed here the pictures of campanulatum and a hybrid of ecalcaratum. Two 'rare' growing species because of the shape of the flowers. The first I grow in the garden, the latter I 'forgot' to buy. Must do it as soon as possible.

This hybrid you showed, E. stellulatum x E. membranaceum must be a fantastic new cultivar, when it should get a name. Which such excellent parents.

McDonough wrote:

Ron, you asked for trade secrets on growing Epimedium.  Here are a few that come to mind.  Given them adequate space. They flourish with more light (sun) than shade in many cases; leaf coloring and flowering is best in a deciduous woodland that gets lots of sun when Epimedium are emerging and flowering.  While delicate looking, they do great in sun for at least a portion of the day, with foliage coloring best when there is sufficient sun. While fairly drought resistant, they do best with adequate moisture, the ones I have lost was due primarily to being stressed by drought.  They're not overly fussy about soil, but mixing in lots of decomposed bark mulch to a heavy soil works wonders and is much to their liking.

gerrit wrote:

About drought resistance: it's good to repeat this. Epimediums can suffer from drought indeed. And even pass away. Altough most of the nurseries regularly claim they are drought resist. In my garden I lost several species under an overhanging conifer. The Epimediums had to compete with the root system of this thirsty conifer. And they lost the unequal battle.

That's exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks Mark, and Gerrit  8)

After having seen E. campanulatum and E. x ecalcaratum '...' with very special inflorescence, I show my Epimedium davidii with irregular formed petals. Each flower is different. And I'm fond of it.

The closest nursery to us has these for sale - Epimedium 'Black Sea' , Epimedium perralderianum and Epimedium x youngianum 'Shikinomai' .

We're thinking we should get one of each. Any comments on these three please?

Longma wrote:

The closest nursery to us has these for sale - Epimedium 'Black Sea' , Epimedium perralderianum and Epimedium x youngianum 'Shikinomai' .

We're thinking we should get one of each. Any comments on these three please?

Black Sea is a good one, a slow spreader, with leaves that turn a ruddy near glossy black color in late autumn (it's evergreen).  It has tallish sprays of light yellow-orange flowers, I posted a photo earlier:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1254.msg23277#msg23277

E. perralderianum I've never seen (rare in the US) but is very close to pinnatum ssp. colchicum and the hybrids between both species known as x perralchicum are what most people grow, such as the familiar one names 'Wisley' and 'Frohnleiten', with yellow verbascum-like flowers, handsome evergreen leaves nicely veining, and once again, a slow to moderate spreading habit (not a clumper). Wim Boens was just mentioning E. x youngianum 'Shikinomai', another I'm not familiar with, although it has white flowers, images do come up with Google.

Boy what a treat these postings have been ...I have small number of different unnamed plants ,( divisions from friends) ,however i feel another obsession coming on ..... ;D

I wonder Mark or Gerrit if you like to comment on the viability of seed as I've never managed to successfully raise seed from any of the overseas exchanges.Thanks.

Cheers Dave. 

Picked up four plants today.

Anyone have any comments about the accuracy / suitability of the book -  'Epimedium - The Genus by William T Stearn'. ?

Ron, "The Genus Epimedium" by Stearn is top notch, an essential "bible" on the genus, and other herbaceous Berberidaceae such as Podophyllum, Leontice, Diphylleia, Jeffersonia, Vancouveria, and a couple others. Published in 2002, a year after Stearn's death, it was up to date taxonomically on Epimedium at the time, although new species have been published since then.  I bought mine used but in great shape from Amazon.com at $50 (which is the original selling price), many other copies went as high as $200 for a copy, I was lucky to find the one that I did.

Dave, Epimedium seed can't be had successfully from seed exchanges, because the dry seed will be dead.  The seed must be sown fresh soon after collecting it in late spring (to early summer, depending on the species).  I sow mine immediately after the pods are ripe and starting to spill seed, the seed itself looks like little green lima beans with attached fleshy elaiosomes.  I collect seed in plastic sandwich bags, then sow within a week or two, using good compost in peat flats, cover the seed lightly, then top dress with decomposed pine back mulch, cover the flats with wire (prevent squirrels and chipmunks from digging/eating the seed), flats are kept in a shady spot all summer, and sprinkle with water every now and then to prevent dessication, they sit there exposed to weather all winter, then germinate like little beans in spring.  Jeffersonia is exactly the same.

Thanks a lot for the seed viabilty comments Mark --I had read on the internet that seed needed to be fresh however i thought I'd double check and get your or Gerrit's observations.

As an aside here's a shot i took today of a very small 8 cm rhizome of E.versicolor i took off a small plant last month .........I wasn't too sure whether my timing was a bit late however it seems to have settled and new growth is evident.

Cheers Dave.

There is some great information on epis which I've missed while being at the Czech Alpine Conference. We had a much wetter summer last year than normal and I think this has helped a lot with the later flowering woodlanders, and many of the epimediums are looking better than they ever have. I've never tried using such small rhizomes as Dave shows, and generally with dividing epimediums I have found them slow to grow away if they are split up too much. I would like to try many more of these under our apple trees and it is very valuable to hear the experiences of Mark and Gerrit in particular. Will certainly look out for 'Pink Champagne'!

gerrit wrote:

After having seen E. campanulatum and E. x ecalcaratum '...' with very special inflorescence, I show my Epimedium davidii with irregular formed petals. Each flower is different. And I'm fond of it.

Gerrit, that's a very fine looking Epi, and amusing too with the indefinitely shaped spurs.  And so floriferous!  What is your source for that plant?  I'm wondering if it might be a hybrid with ecalcaratum, because that feature, of variable vestigial to partly developed spurs, is a strong and unique characteristic of ecalcaratum.  It's hybrids, such as 'Lemon Zest' that I showed earlier, and 'Buttered Popcorn', another Darrell Probst hybrid just coming into bloom now, both show that same characteristic. 

I have some flowering-size seed-grown plants from 'Lemon Zest', and one in particular has flowers that look just like regular davidii, perhaps revealing parentage in 'Lemon Zest'.  I also have some hybrids (2nd generation) from E. stellulatum x membranaceum, and these second generation seedlings are showing forms similar to membranaceum, others following the stellulatum look; interesting to see the genetic tendencies and results in further generations.  I will post some photos later.

McDonough wrote:

Gerrit, that's a very fine looking Epi, and amusing too with the indefinitely shaped spurs.  And so floriferous!  What is your source for that plant?  I'm wondering if it might be a hybrid with ecalcaratum, because that feature, of variable vestigial to partly developed spurs, is a strong and unique characteristic of ecalcaratum.  It's hybrids, such as 'Lemon Zest' that I showed earlier, and 'Buttered Popcorn', another Darrell Probst hybrid just coming into bloom now, both show that same characteristic. 

You are definitely right, determining it as a hybrid between E. davidii and E. ecalcaratum. Certainly after seeing E. 'Lemon Zest'.
KVP selled it as a davidii. I asked him about this aberration (defect) but he was not so amused. It could happen was his reply. But I was happy enough. A normal davidii is a common plant. This one is so cute.
Each individual flower is different. Sometimes 4 petals but also 3, 2 or one. Or none with only a sort of shoulder where the spur should be. It's curious and funny.

In attachment, Epimedium 'Egret'. From a Belgian source. And new to me. lovely enough.

Toole wrote:

Thanks a lot for the seed viabilty comments Mark --I had read on the internet that seed needed to be fresh however i thought I'd double check and get your or Gerrit's observations.

Hi Dave.

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

Gerrit

Well, it isn't easy to get Epimediums here either. And it is not about restrictions but knowledge and demand.
So if anybody has some fresh seeds to spare  . . . . .

Well Trond, I like to collect seeds and send it to you. But you know, no guarantee they will be true to the kind.

Gerrit, I regret that 'Egret' seems unavailable here in the US (if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know), it's another beauty, love the complimentary color of flowers with striking new foliage.

Dave, I wish you success on that E. x versicolor rhizome piece, I've not had good luck with small divisions of Epimedium, have only had good luck with divisions with enough root mass to support them; maybe we get too dry and hot here in the dog days of summer to keep such tiny pieces alive.

This will be an all-yellow 10-photo post.  When watching plants carefully, and observing hybrid offspring, it's rewarding to pay attention.  Working with some of the yellow species, the results have been fun, but I compare them to baby steps; small differences that can be built upon in further hybridization.

For basis, on the left is E. membranaceum.  It has very large yellow spider blooms, just starting into bloom recently (late by Epimedium standards). It is a perpetual bloomer, which can continue until frost, if weather conditions are fair (enough moisture, no drought). The flowers characteristic to note, is very long yellow petals (spurs, almost no "cup") and small whitish sepals.  On the right is a plant grown from seed of E. davidii "Wolong Select", this particular plant closely resembling the parent.  The characteristics to note; down-curved spurs, boxy cup, and red sepals (the sepals not very visible in this photo).

Two view of plants grown from seed collected on E. davidii "Wolong Select", pollinated with various Epis, including larger flowered types such as membranaceum.  Both photos show flowers from two hyrbids, the two flowers on the left look very much like E. davidii, except instead of small solid red sepals, here the sepals are larger and with yellow base color, spotted with red.  The flower on the right is another hybrid that looks like a miniature E. membranaceum, with whitish to transparent sepals, and almost no central cups.

Two more "overall" views of the same two E. davidii "Wolong Select" hybrids, the first one on the left shows the mini-membranaceum-like plant showing some mottled fresh flush of foliage, and on the right, an earlier view showing the nice basal foliage clumps of both, which look similar.

The next two show a hybrid flowering for the first time; (E. [stellulatum x membranaceum] x various selected), most of these end up looking like stellulatum with clouds of small flowers with broad white sepals and undersized yellow spurs and cup shorter than the sepals. This one surprised me by growing 18" tall with slender stems, and large yellow spider blooms like membranaceum, but with red sepals like davidii instead of white one.

On the left is my ever-blooming Spring-to-October (or November) Epimedium rhizomatosum x membranaceum hybrid, just starting to flower and showing lots of new colorful mottled foliage.  On the right is a poor photo of E. flavum, taken in the rain.  The flowers were fleeting, so didn't get a better photo. This one seems slow growing, a small plant that did nothing in two years years, this year flowering and showing its distinctive blooms, rather thin-textured but lovely open-cupped blooms of light yellow, no other yellow-flowered species looks quite like it.

Like Mark, I find that much larger divisions of epimediums are needed to do well.

   Even with such a vigorous one as Orangekönigin, a single or double crown with roots just seems to sit and sulk.

At least in your pic, Mark, E. flavum looks exceptionally nice.

   Seems like a lot of hybridizing dreams could be born with that one!

gerrit wrote:

Well Trond, I like to collect seeds and send it to you. But you know, no guarantee they will be true to the kind.

Thanks Gerrit! It's fine with me - I'm not good at remembering names anyway!

This (a very common one I suppose) is the only one flowering here now! And I have forgotten the name :-\
But Mark's yellows looksmuch better!

I'm another who has trouble remembering Epi names  :-[  .....but that does not prevent my appreciation of these interesting plants.
Here in North East Scotland I think they prefer to be more in the open - we do not get high enough temperatures to bother them and they do best in brighter positions.

Trond, your plant is E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum', an old standby that has proven its garden value for a nearly a century.  I have this in a couple places, but my biggest patch is down at the lower wooded edge of my property, far out of reach of a hose, growing under dry dry dry Sugar Maples, and after 25 years neglected there, they still persist and grow and flower well.

Maggi, it's an important point you make. Many people here are sold on the idea these are "shade plants" for woodland gardens, when in fact, they revel in bright open light, a half day of sun is best for most compact and vigorous growth, best flowering potential, and more intense leaf coloring.  They can be grown in full sun too, as long as they don't get totally parched.

I should show photos side-by-side of Epimedium "Mark's Star" (thanks for the name Wim :D ), where I grew several plants that got 1/2 day sun, and my original plants growing about 40' away in the north-facing constant shade of my house. The plants in shade all day, flowered 3 weeks later than those getting sun, those in sun were compact and amazingly floriferous, whereas those in full shadow grew more open and flowered well enough but modestly by comparison, a real eye-opener.

Sometimes one will see an aberrant 5-part Epimedium flower.  This year, I have noticed many species and cultivars (dozens) with one or more 5-part flowers, I only caught photos on two of them.

E. rhizomatosum is just coming into flower, one of the creeping species, and a long-season bloomer/repeat bloomer.  Here's a single anomalous 5-part flower.

Earlier, the giant Epimedium grandiflorum 'Red Queen' had several 5-part flowers, here's one such inflorescence, a single 5-part flower then the rest are normal 4-part flowers.

McDonough wrote:

Maggi, it's an important point you make. Many people here are sold on the idea these are "shade plants" for woodland gardens, when in fact, they revel in bright open light, a half day of sun is best for most compact and vigorous growth, best flowering potential, and more intense leaf coloring.  They can be grown in full sun too, as long as they don't get totally parched.

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

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

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

gerrit wrote:

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

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

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

gerrit wrote:

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

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

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

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

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

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

gerrit wrote:

Hi Dave.

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

Gerrit

Hello Gerrit

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

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

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

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

Cheers Dave.

(Moderator edit to enable quote)

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

Gerrit.

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

2 pictures of Epimedium grandiflorum 'Yellow Princess'.

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

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

Notice that I put the name "wushanense" in double quotes, as it is generally regarded that this plant is of hybrid origin and does not represent the species E. wushanense, I've heard this from the horse's mouth so to speak.  
(Update: upon further research I was incorrect thinking this was a hybrid, apparently 'Caramel' represents a wild selection in China, but the identify as wushanense was put into question when Darrell Probst returned to China and collected from the "type" location, the true E. wushanense has very compact dense clusters of bloom.  So the question about what species 'Caramel' represents remains a mystery, unless someone has discovered the truth).

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

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

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

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

Gerrit, I made a correction and offered updated information on the 'Caramel' epimedium in my post above, in a different color.  Here's a couple links that talk about this plant not being wushanense, both represent some communication with Darrell Probst.  Next time I see Darrell, I'll ask about what species he thinks this 'Caramel' selection belongs to.

http://www.plantdelights.com/Epimedium-wushanense-Wushan-Fairy-Wings/pro...

(scroll down 6 message to a post by Geoforce, also notice our friend Tony Willis in this following discussion thread):
http://www.gardenbuddies.com/forum/messages/64189/1233900.html

By the way Gerrit, nice photo of 'Caramel', shows off the color well.

Epimedium seed pods are forming en masse!

View of my E. pubigerum hybrid, has lovely textured foliage and bright red leaf petioles.  Very few of the flowers formed seed pods, although there are a couple.

Gerrit, I should add more comment about your 4 photos above of acuminatum & ilicifolium; again, very nice portraits of those plants. I can see how your planting on a small raised wall shows the flowers off to excellent effect.  Your ilicifolium looks like it has brighter yellow flowers than mine, which are a decidedly pale yellow.

gerrit wrote:

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

Gerrit.

That's very kind of you Gerrit.
I'll PM you.

Cheers Dave.

I'm impressed by the huge flowers (relative to other Epimedium I have) on these plants this spring -
E. 'Harold Epstein' and E. grandiflorum 'Queen Esta':
 

I bought the first one as "E. grandiflorum v. koreanum" 'Harold Epstein'.  Would it actually be E. grandiflorum f. flavescens 'Harold Epstein' then?

Lori, it seems like your repertoire of hardy Epimediums in Alberta is increasing!  Yes, Harold Epstein should be written as E. grandiflorum f. flavescens 'Harold Epstein'.  Is the selection of available Epimedium increasing in Canada, did you get your plants mail order?  I'm really interested in knowing how hardy Epimedium species/cultivars will be in colder climates, colder than my USDA Zone 5.  'Queen Esta' is a nice one too, great for spring foliage color.

Epimedium mikinorii is another one at the end of the flowering season. Was not often to be seen here.
Difficult to take pictures. Each flower is looking its own different way. And they are hidden between the leaves. The flowers are  down with a long outer whitish sepal, almost covering the inner pink petal. The end of the spur is heading up. The rather big leaves are typical spined.

The two last pictures show an overall display, with the amber coloring of E. wushanense 'Caramel'.
Maybe there is a fine hybridization between those two.

Probably the last flowering eppi of the season. But a real stunner. Extremely spiny flowers in red and copper tones. Top 5. Very small size and suitable for the rock garden.

Epimedium 'Spine Tingler'.

McDonough wrote:

Trond, your plant is E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum', an old standby that has proven its garden value for a nearly a century.  I have this in a couple places, but my biggest patch is down at the lower wooded edge of my property, far out of reach of a hose, growing under dry dry dry Sugar Maples, and after 25 years neglected there, they still persist and grow and flower well.

This thread evolves fast! Can barely cope with the posts ;)
Thanks Mark. Make sense - I do remember the name when you tell me and not much has happened in this corner of the world regarding Epimediums for about 100 years.

Gerrit, 'Spine Tingler' is a wonderful plant, yet another one to add to my list of Epimedium to purchase.

Lis, your fiendishly spreading yellow Epimedium might be E. koreanum, does it have very large light-to-mid-green leaflets? Another yellow spreader (but much better behaved) is E. pinnatum ssp. colchicum or hybrids with it (E. x perralchicum 'Frohnleiten' or 'Wisley'). One thing I like about the Garden Vision Epimedium catalog by Karen Perkins, is that it identifies all Epimedium species and cultivars as to whether they are "clumpers" or "runners".  

I love your catch phrase for Epimedium, "foliage with style", couldn't be more true.

The first time an Epimedium has flowered in our garden,  ;D. Was sold to us recently as Epimedium x 'Merlin'. Looking forward to seeing many many more in the years to come.

Congratulations Ron on your first Epimedium flowering, there's no turning back now ;D  It looks correct as 'Merlin', distinctive on account of the rounded inflated look to the cup. It's one of a couple dozen epimedium that I lost in our severe drought several years ago, need to replace this one.

Thanks Mark. We know that this will be the first of many,  :rolleyes:

We have three others but no sign of flowering, and I suppose its getting late now isn't it? Something for next year?

My first epimedium was E. x rubrum.  It still amazes me with its tenacity in the driest, shady places.  You've got a start with a much nicer one, Ron.

Epimedium davidii with some spent petals strewn about.  There are some impatiens seedlings among, and anyone care to guess what the other plant is?
   

Epimedium lishihchenii
   

This one came from Chen Yi many years ago.  For several years it barely survived, but it is now finally taking hold.  She labeled it as E. platypetalum.  New foliage is sometimes mottled, but quickly fades.  The plant is very small, like Niveum, but the flowers are larger.  Any ID ideas?
       

Epimedium stellulatum 'Wudang Star'
   

Rick, my guess is Epimedium pauciflorum. In my garden running and running and running but no flowers.

http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/epimedium/epimediumpauciflorum/spec...

But many of Chen Yi's plants are misnamed, so I'm not surprised. She also named many of her species as
'species 1' or 'species 9'.

My first Epimedium was also x rubrum. A very good  one to start with. I'm still fond of it.

Oh, that was eerie, here I am up late in California, traveling for work, just typed in my ID to Rick's Chen Yi white epimedium, hit Post, and it said another message was just posted, and when I look at your message Gerrit, we say pretty much the same thing!

Here's what I had written:
===================

RickR wrote:

This one came from Chen Yi many years ago.  For several years it barely survived, but it is now finally taking hold.  She labeled it as E. platypetalum.  New foliage is sometimes mottled, but quickly fades.  The plant is very small, like Niveum, but the flowers are larger.  Any ID ideas?

The Chen Yi white epimedium is a close fit for E. pauciflorum, definitely not the yellow-flowered spurless E. platypetalum.  If it truly is E. pauciflorum, be aware that is a spreading species.

Epimedium x rubrum was my first Epimedium too, and a good one it is.

McDonough wrote:

Oh, that was eerie....

HaHa!  Well there certainly is a paucity of flowers.  I had already notice the possible non-clumping nature of the plant, but it's still too small for me to make any judgements on my own.    Great minds think alike.... Thanks for the info, guys!

Longma wrote:

Thanks Mark. We know that this will be the first of many,  :rolleyes:

We have three others but no sign of flowering, and I suppose its getting late now isn't it? Something for next year?

We have found that new Epis take a year to settle to flower here in Aberdeen, so perhaps they'll do the same for you.

M

IMYoung wrote:

Longma wrote:

Thanks Mark. We know that this will be the first of many,  :rolleyes:

We have three others but no sign of flowering, and I suppose its getting late now isn't it? Something for next year?

We have found that new Epis take a year to settle to flower here in Aberdeen, so perhaps they'll do the same for you.

M

We're hoping that will hold good for the East Coast here also Maggi. So many beautiful Epimedium. Thanks for the information  :)

Several years ago I bought this Epimedium. I planted it in a corner of my garden underneath a big conifer.
The years following, the plant suffered from neglection and drought. Eventually there was almost nothing left of it and I said to myself: Whether you rescue him or he'll die. And probably you'll never get a new one. So I replanted him to a better place. And today he rewarded me with new leaves and some flowers.

Epimedium shuichengense. Very mottled leaves, Davidii like inflorescence with long spurs and  curious crumpled sepals. From American origin: Cc 030175. But obviously never seen in this pages.

That is a very beautiful species Gerrit,  :o. You must be so pleased you decided to save it,  8)

This nursery site has some great pictures of Epimedium. In the picture gallery are a number of plants which may be 'new species'?

http://www.koenvanpoucke.be/english/index.asp

Wow Gerrit, that's a unique one. The "Cc" number indicates it is from Garden Vision, but I don't think it was ever offered in their catalog.  How big is the flower, measuring from spur-tip across to the opposite spur-tip?

As you can see 3cm. Yes it is a tiny species.

Longma wrote:

The first time an Epimedium has flowered in our garden,  ;D. Was sold to us recently as Epimedium x 'Merlin'. Looking forward to seeing many many more in the years to come.

My first one too (aren't they the Devil's own job to photograph, well that's my excuse!). Bought as Epimedium excalcaratum OG 93082 and the label tells me it is evergreen. Can anyone offer me any clues as to what 'OG 93082 means please?

David, the "OG" number indicates an original collection by Japanese botanist Mikinori Ogisu, for which two species are commemorative names honoring this individual, Epimedium ogisui and E. mikinorii. In total he introduced 15 species of Epimedium.  Of those he introduced, one is E. ecalcaratum (note spelling), collected in Western Sichuan as number OG 93082. This information from Stearn's The Genus Epimedium.

Can't really see the flower detail in your photos, to tell if there are vestigial spur bumps or "shoulders" to the petals, but since it has the OG number, one can probably assume it is correct.

Many thanks for that Mark and thanks for the spelling correction too. When you get to my age the 25 metres from the plants position to the kitchen where my notepad resides do tend to play havoc with what are left of my memory cells! ;D

We are promised rain all day tomorrow so I will try to get a reasonable pic of the flower details as soon as possible. I bought the plant a couple of weeks ago from Keith Wiley. Not sure how widely known outside the UK Keith is but he has a very individual planting style in his garden which has attracted a lot of attention over the years. If anyone knows of his work and is interested I could post some pics of my recent garden visit.

A testament of Epimedium hardiness.: this 3 year seedling survives in the cement stoop crack, facing south in full sun.  In zone 4, snow is cleared  away there, all winter long.  Parents could be E. x youngianum and/or E. diphyllum.  Yet these established plants in the garden to the side of the stoop have died (or are just hanging on) following this winter. 

Yet another experience that supports the need for dry winters to survive extreme cold.

Hello Gerrit

I've tried sending you a PM today however it won't go through and i get a message " has disabled private message receiving".

Cheers Dave.

[quote=Toole]

Hello Gerrit

I've tried sending you a PM today however it won't go through and i get a message " has disabled private message receiving".

Cheers Dave.

[/quote]

Dave, one item at the top of the list to be fixed here on this new version of NARGS Forum, is to get a direct link to one's pm InBox (most people can't even find their inbox here, a direct link is missing), and to enable some level of PM notification.  Hopefully this shortcoming will get straightened out by the web master.

Thanks Mark for that info ,Gerrit has made contact.

Cheers Dave.

[quote=Toole]

As an aside here's a shot i took today of a very small 8 cm rhizome of E.versicolor i took off a small plant last month .........I wasn't too sure whether my timing was a bit late however it seems to have settled and new growth is evident.

Cheers Dave.

[/quote]

7 months on after being kept in a cool and moist position,.success ! , the rhizome has come into full leaf .Such yummy leaves.

Good news Dave! Yes, the leaves are irresistible little fringed hearts.

On the other side of the world, here's E. x versicolor 'Cupreum' (photo taken couple days ago) showing it's fall/winter foliage color.  The nights are routinely down to -7 C (19-20 F), but the semi-evergreen to true evergreen epimediums continue their presence.

Here's a couple of Epi .seedlings, from seed sown July 2013, I've just potted on .

Any info on how long until they will take until flowering?.

Epi 1 .Epimedium davidii dwarf form x grandiforum nanum freya .

Epi 2. Epimedium akane x acuminatum nightmistress x amanoqawa.

(Hopefully I have the names spelt correctly and in the right order.......).

Cheers Dave.

Hi Dave, many epimediums will bloom the 2nd year from seed, but its the 3rd year before they really get going. Some of the Chinese species can be slower, such as your second one, E. x omiense 'Akane' x acuminatum 'Night Mistress' x 'Amanogawa', might be 3 years to first flowering, sounds like something exciting should come out of that cross, really good parents :-)

I have also some seedlings which germinated during the very mild period we had. I had to bring them inside when the weather got colder.

When is the best time to separate the seedlings?

Trond, any time it's warm enough to plant out perennials is fine, including when they still might get frosted a bit if seedlings are hardened off outside, or if protected wait until frost-free conditions.

[quote=Mark McD]

Hi Dave, many epimediums will bloom the 2nd year from seed, but its the 3rd year before they really get going. Some of the Chinese species can be slower, such as your second one, E. x omiense 'Akane' x acuminatum 'Night Mistress' x 'Amanogawa', might be 3 years to first flowering, sounds like something exciting should come out of that cross, really good parents :-)

[/quote]

Thanks Mark for the info and name correction --3 years isn't a long wait at all.