Bishops hats and a couple of old queens! Epimedium.

[John Jearrard]

Sorry about this - somebody asked to see some Epimedium! I have been really self controlled on my own website, so sorry for going as bit wild here.....
(but not very sorry).
A few lovely things and some recent hybrids.

Epimedium x versicolor 'Cherry Tart'.
A recent American hybrid, much closer to red than anything produced in the UK so far.

Epimedium x youngianum 'Be My Valentine'.
Another recent American hybrid. Many other cultivars of this very popular hybrid have been named, but this one is much stronger coloured than most.

Epimedium 'William Stearn'. A new hybrid from Robin White in Hampshire.

Epimedium 'Enchantress'
A very subtle and beautiful thing raised by Elizabeth Strangman in Kent.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Purple Prince'
A recent American selection from the purple end of the colour range .

Epimedium 'Eco Select'
A wild collected seedling, named in the USA.

Epimedium 'Asiatic Hybrid'.
A good , vigorous hybrid that owes a lot to E.davidii, but showing some other influences. ( Epimedium are little sluts, I'm afraid.)

Epimedium fargesii.
Very distinctive species. For a long time it was only known in cultivation as a pink and purple flowered plant, but a white and purple one has recently been introduced.

Epimedium x youngianum 'Yenomoto'.
I rather like this one, but there are a mass of Japanese cultivars that are very similar from this hybrid.

Epimedium 'Madame Butterfly'
Another very new hybrid from Robin White, quite stunning in the flesh, the photo doesn't really do it justice.

[John Jearrard]

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Buckland Spider'
A pretty new selection from Wildside Nursery in Devon.One of the best in the pinkish lilac colour range.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Crimson Queen'
The first of the old queens, this one is many decades old, but still an excellent colour.

Epimedium x warleyense 'Orangekoenigen'
The original hybrid was raised by Ellen Willmott at Warley Place, though this is a German selection.

Epimedium x youngianum 'Merlin'.
A beautiful flower, the seedling came from the late Amy Doncaster's garden in Hampshire.

Epimedium ogisui.
A recently discovered species fromChina, named after Mikinori Ogisu who has introduced a large number of forms from China in recent years.

Epimedium 'Jinto Shan'
A hybrid seedling of uncertain parentage from China.

Epimedium 'Amber Queen'
Not such an old queen really, this one was raised by Robin White and introduced two years ago.

Epimedium 'Chlorandrum Hybrid'
There are a great many hybrid seedlings doing the rounds, this one shows its affiliation to E.chloranthum with its bright green pollen.

Epimedium mikinorii.
The second species to be named after Mikinori Ogisu who has been one of the major driving forces behind the latest introductions from China.

[Troppoz]

Wow John what lovely delicate flowers! And a wide range of colours and shades too... Reminds me a bit of colombines except with 4 petals.

Once again a plant I have never heard of - is it a climber? Is it a hardy or tender plant for the UK?

Thanks for posting the pics.

Sean

[AndyC]

Thanks John, what a fantastic collection you have. Do you grow any of them in pots or are they all planted out. The few I have tend to get put in places where other things don't grow, i.e. dry shade, so don't get the treatment they deserve.
Sean, they are hardy perennials, some evergreen and some deciduous (and some in between) which grow in mounds not much more than 30cm tall and across. Apart from the flowers the foliage on some of them can produce some great colour and they are very good for shady places.

[Petefree]

fantastic John!
I had no idea there were so many beautiful flower varieties. The few I have also get more abuse than tlc and I tend to appreciate the foliage more than the subtle flowers which are so far from the eye. I clearly need to grovel amongst them more...
I really like "Enchantress"!
Pete

[becky]

they are lovelly iv never heared of them im looking for plants for shaded areas if these like shade they will be ideal, are they hard to find in gc,s thanks beck

[tropical-pete]

Some seriously beautiful plants there John, all looking in fine condition! Might have to try some of these out, the flowers are very unusual and some nice colours in there, too. There's no need to apologise for excessive pics by the way, we all love 'em Thanks for posting them!

[John Jearrard]

Aaah, you're all so kind!
I grow them all in pots - I plant a few out in the garden when I can, but there are a lot of them, and I haven't yet solved the problems of labeling plants in the open garden reliably (suggestions on a postcard please!)
Otherwise, they would be good for shade, which I have plenty of. You do have to crawl around a bit to appreciate the flowers on some of them, but the more recent hybrids are much more showy.

[Nigel Fear]

Lovely lookng flowers on those John, I've never really taken much notice of Epimedium's before, but now I will.
are they capable of thriving in fairly dry shade?