I'm pleased to kick off this "Epimedium 2010" thread. For many North American gardeners that must deal with shady wooded conditions, often rather dry too, I can think of no better candidate to grace such conditions as the many members of the genus Epimedium. They are tough, drought tolerant when established, have beautiful graceful flowers and gorgeous foliage often strikingly colored in spring and in a second-flush of color post-flowering, many with excellent fall color as well.
For me, the "Onion Man", there is life beyond the genus Allium, and I'm a serious admirer and collector of Epimedium as well as many other plants. I call my beloved Epimedium plants "eppies" for short. I am most fortunate being located just a mere 40 minutes drive from the "epicenter of Epimedium", the epimedium extravaganza that is Garden Vision Epimediums founded by epi-jedi master Darrell Probst, in Hubbardston, Massachusetts. The nursery is now run by Darrell's ex, Karen Perkins, a lovely person and trained horticulturalist herself, still with a mutual association with Darrell Probst and his important Epimedium breeding work.
Let me start with a single recent species, E. wushanense, a species of only recent and rare obtainability, an imposing tall species with large creamy white flowers. Epimedium wushanense "Spiny-leaved Forms" is a selection from several clones grown by Darrell, growing much lower and leafier, with shorter condensed panicles of large bloom. I got my plant at a local NARGS auction 3 years back, where Darrell as usual generously donated a wonderful selection of "choicest of choice" epimedium to benefit our chapter.
This species has proved hardy (most epimediums are bone hardy) and completely evergreen in my harsh Zone 5 garden (a number of eppies are indeed evergreen here), with bold, glossy, spiny-edged foliage, and dense spikes of substantially large white and yolk-yellow flowers in May. The only problem with the flowers is that they droop downwards towards the ground and get dirt-splashed. In the photo, I am lifting up two flower spikes. I think this species has incredible potential for breeding. More to come.
Garden Vision Epimediums publishes an extensive list of eppies for sale, all completely identification validated, with inumerable rare species, special variant forms, and many of Darrel's latest gorgeous hybrids. Send an email to Karen Perkins requesting a catalog to: [email protected]. The catalog is due out soon, and includes 10 or more color pages of photographs, truly worth having as an Epimedium reference alone! In addition to Epimedium, there are choice woodland Iris species, many Iris cristata cultivars, some novel Primula sieboldii cultivars, and other choice woodlanders. For those who live within driving range, the nursery is open each year on two consecutive May weekends (includes Fridays before each weekend). I typically place an order and elect to pick it up at the nursery, where I get to see swathes of fantastic eppies, many new to science, swathes of new hybrids, discuss these with Darrell, and buy even more plants that are for sale at the nursery. Ahhh, to satiate ones plant desires.
