Epimedium (Barrenwort or Bishops Hat)
at Digging Dog
Including Epimedium x warleyense, Epimedium x rubrum, Epimedium x versicolor, & Epimedium x youngianum
Epimedium
Barrenwort or Bishop’s Hat
Dense and leafy Epimedium is one of our most successful ground covers for the moist woodland setting. New heart-shaped leaves on wiry stems unfurl in spring with a rosy, marbled coloration that fades to green as summer approaches. In autumn, the marbling returns in coral and copper, enduring mild winters.
The tiny, unusual flowers (Bishop’s Hats) are held above the foliage in airy sprays, and resemble miniature Columbines. Durable and long-lived, Epimediums can adapt to drier conditions once established, spreading slowly and steadily. Both flowers and foliage are prized for small arrangements.
The valiant granddaddy of many modern cultivars, this handsome easily grown woodlander was named by Linnaeus in 1739 and hails from Europe, the Caucasus and northern Turkey. Slender stems support sprightly racemes with 12 to 20 flowers, each bloom showcasing red inner sepals, creamy yellow petals and small spurs. Spreading more rapidly than most Epimediums, long vigorous rhizomes yield bright fresh green pointed leaves, which smother weeds, endure dry conditions and manifest pink tinges when young and deep bronzy hues in autumn.
Blooms April–May. Size: 9"–12" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 4. Epimedium alpinum (P-1693)
Each $8.50
Add to Cart
Bred by Blackthorn Nursery owner Robin White, this brand new Epimedium flavum and Epimedium wushanense cross is adorned with droves of large warm-hued blooms. Arranged in an open fashion on long, nearly invisible black stems, the whimsical deep yellow flowers feature light blonde hooked spurs, red-tinged sepal backs and speckled petals, all melding together for an overall amber shade. Toothed and elongated, tidy heart-shaped foliage heralds spring with a bold russet mottling.
Blooms late March – May. Size: 10" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’ (P-1517)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
An exquisite showing of small refined flowers with primrose yellow inner petals and outer orange-red sepals gracefully balances on myriad wine-colored threadlike stems. Newly emerging leaves are bronzy green, maturing to a blue-green and later, as the weather becomes colder, transmuting an extraordinary midnight purple color that persists until spring.
Superimpose the seductive dark hues against Dicentra ‘Gold Heart’ or Pulmonarias.
Blooms March – April. Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. AVAILABLE SPRING 2012 Epimedium ‘Black Sea’ (P-1649)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
Lilac Fairy
‘Lilafee’ is a delicate delight as a ground cover. Its loose, tall sprays of elegant, long-spurred, lavender violet blossoms rise from a bed of vigorous oval-shaped foliage, purply bronze when new, and bright green as it matures. A carpet of ‘Lilafee’ under a Cercidiphyllum will echo its coloration.
Blooms late March–May. Size: 6"–8" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ (p-0793)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
With a name that’s quite apropos, this Richard Lighty introduction conjures fanciful flowers distinguished by vivid purple sepals and extended white spurs. Exquisitely detailed blooms dance on dark wire-thin stems above a marvelous bed of damson-flushed springtime foliage. Generating a compact, yet plucky ground cover, the heartlike leaves develop olive green hues and maroon margins as they mature.
‘Purple Pixie’ will impart enchanting accents to the dappled recesses of your garden, especially when nestled alongside Geranium ‘Claudine Dupont’. (pp#13,966)
Blooms April–May. Size: 9"–12" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Purple Pixie’ (P-1694)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
With a dainty style that defies its stoic nature, ‘Frohnleiten’ can handle dry conditions and is quick to colonize. Buoyant, loosely formed clusters of pendulous, vibrant yellow winged flowers perch above the tailored leafy clump. bright green veins dramatically pattern maroon-infused spring foliage, while summer brings verdant greenery, and autumn a florid fanfare that sometimes persists into winter.
Blooms April – May. Size: 15" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x perralchicum ‘Frohnleiten’ (P-1447)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
Bronze serrated leaves in compact clumps are a spring prelude to bright starlike yellow flowers. The foliage turns green and lasts throughout the year, tolerating the shade of Styrax orViburnum.
Blooms March–April. Size: 8"–10" high x 16" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium perralderianum (P-0061)
SOLD OUT!
Email me when this plant is available
Originating from a Epimedium leptorrhizum and Epimedium pubescens cross, this delightful Robin White hybrid makes a vigorously spreading clump. Dappled with green and auburn shades, the evergreen leaves loll beneath a fairy’s fest of pink flowers marked by purple tinges and bronze-colored cups on thin stiff stems. (pp#17228)
Blooms late March – May. Size: 12" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5. AVAILABLE SPRING 2012 Epimedium ‘Pink Elf’ (P-1518)
Each $9.00
Add to Cart
So prolific are the crimson and white flowers on this Epimedium that the wiry stems are obscured by the origami-looking blossoms. It’s best served by planting in shade, fancying either the woodland or rock garden.
Blooms February–March. Size: 9" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x rubrum (p-0062)
Each $8.50
Add to Cart
Visitors are always delighted by the pale, clear yellow flowers rising above leathery, heart-shaped foliage. This is one of the best Epimediums for fall color. We plant it with early blooming Pulmonarias or Brunneras.
Blooms March. Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’ (p-0063)
Each $8.00
Add to Cart
We bet you’ll take your hats off to this ‘Bishop’s Hat’. Its intriguing flowers have petals of yellow, sepals of coppery orange, anthers of green, and spurs adorned with red streaks. The light green spring foliage is spiny-toothed and has a reddish margin. We plant it alongside our shaded steps and benches amid Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’, so that we can enjoy the detail and contrasting colors.
Blooms April–May. Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x warleyense (P-0291)
Each $8.50
Add to Cart
Illuminated by a sprightly, overhead display of starry, pure white flowers, the emerging henna-hued leaves grow into a compact mass that stays tidy all season. Smaller sized, handsome pointed leaflets have toothed margins and impart scarlet and crimson colors for a lambent fall finale.
Blooms April–May. Size: 8"–10" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x youngianum ‘Niveum’ (P-0571)
Each $8.50
Add to Cart
Documented in a 1863 Parisian herbarium, this ladylike Epimedium premiers fleurs d’un rose clair. Sprays of soft lilac-pink, narcissus-like flowers dangle from stiff, needle-thin reddish stems. Fashioning an attractive bushy mound, the pointed ovate leaflets first emerge with warm auburn hues and green-up as spring progresses.
Blooms April – May. Size: 8" high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 5. Epimedium x youngianum ‘Roseum’ (P-1448)
Each $8.00
Add to Cart
Great Gifts for Valentines Day!
Looking for great gifts for Valentines Day? Here are Perennials that will provide winter color and interest to a container or landscape, and will flourish in a range of zones across the country.
San Francisco Flower and Garden Show
March 21st to 25th at the San Mateo Event Center
Green living at its best – 20 gorgeous display gardens, container gardens, edible gardens and new products designed to help Planet Earth thrive. Edible gardening workshops, cooking demonstrations, seminars on design and horticulture.
More news and events |
= 
= 
= 
=