Perennial rarity epimedium: a big-blooming shade lover

Some perennials thrive in shade, and some perennials produce a lot of flowers.

As for perennials that thrive in shade and produce a lot of flowers — well, you don’t run across those every day.

One unsung member of that select group, called epimedium, boasts colorful, delicate blossoms in spring and graceful foliage that remains fresh and green throughout summer.

Epimediums, native mostly to Asia, have been around for eons but have enjoyed an explosion in popularity and variety during the past decade or two.

“They went from being something fairly esoteric” to a showy and readily available gem for the woodland garden, said Tony Avent, owner of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina.

“If you haven’t bought a new epimedium in the past five years, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

About 1 or 2 feet tall, epimedium makes a good accent, ground cover or companion for other shade lovers. (Avent recommended “the usual suspects” — including ferns, hostas and hellebores.)

Leaves of epimediums are usually green and sometimes feature mottling or edging in burgundy. With a shape suggesting an elongated heart, they dangle winsomely from thin, wiry stems.

And, oh, the springtime flowers. From a distance, they might resemble a pink or golden cloud; up close, they call to mind birds or butterflies. Other colors include red, white and violet.

Unlike many other early bloomers, epimediums continue to shine after the flowers fade. The leaves don’t go dormant or become tattered.

Despite the cold winters of central Ohio, they remain evergreen — or close to it — year-round.

Avent recommends shearing in early spring to make room for new flowers.

“Don’t do it in fall,” he said. “Do it in spring before new growth starts.”

An ideal spot for epimediums offers open shade with an hour or two of morning sun, he said.

“The key to really growing them well is a moist soil and a rich soil,” he added. “They’re tolerant of dry shade, but they don’t like it.”

In the do-as-I-write, not-as-I-do department, I’ll admit that I have been growing epimediums for years in dry shade — and they’re gorgeous. If I watered them during rainless spells, the results might be overwhelming.

Another plus: Deer ignore them.

Avent offers a caveat if you go epimedium shopping: Find out whether the plants are carrying a possibly disfiguring virus — TRV, short for tobacco rattle virus. An informed vendor should be able to tell you.

Other than that, pests and diseases rarely cause problems.

Epimedium also goes by the names barrenwort, bishop’s hat and fairy wings.

Evocative in a different way are a few other nicknames: horny goat weed, rowdy lamb herb — well, you get the idea. Epimedium apparently has a reputation as a type of woodland Viagra.

Here are a few of Avent’s favorite varieties of epimedium.

• Amber Queen boasts “an unreal abundance of bright yellow, spiderlike flowers tipped with orange-red,” according to the Plant Delights Nursery catalog.

• Pink Champagne offers pink-and-white blossoms that Avent calls “beyond fabulous.”

• Songbirds produces billows of flowers in pink and soft yellow.

Diana Lockwood is a freelance writer covering gardening topics.

cdecker@dispatch.com

More information

Call Tony Avent's nursery, Plant Delights, at 919-772-4794 or visit www.plantdelights.com.