Growing Epimedium

Can you recommend some Epimedium species and tell me what kind of conditions they prefer?

The resources I consulted say that most Epimedium species prefer part shade, and most are evergreen. Some will tolerate a partly sunny site as long as the soil does not dry out.

Epimedium perralderianum has bronze leaves that turn green and last throughout the year. It blooms in March/April.

Epimedium x rubrum prefers shade, so if your site is partly sunny, this might not be the ideal choice.

Collectors Nursery in Battleground, WA, also carries several varieties.

One gardening website, Paghat’s Garden, has especially good information.
The site developer recommends in particular the following varieties:
Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’, or Yellow Epimedium – for its evergreen foliage
Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ – for quite striking lavender flowers and evergreen foliage

Richie Steffen, curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Garden, is the author of “Epimediums” Queens of the Woodland” published in Pacific Horticulture, April 2008.

A recent book, The Plant Lover’s Guide to Epimediums by Sally Gregson, has excellent illustrations as well as information.

Epimedium, Shade-tolerant plants

cascading plants for retaining walls

I’m looking to plant in a narrow strip on our retaining walls some “spiller” plants which will overhang the walls (which face north).

I’d prefer evergreen plants which would fill in fairly quickly,
but I could also mix in slower-growing and deciduous plants. There’s great drainage since I have gravel reservoirs
behind each wall, and the part of the plant above the wall will get part to
full sun, though I could overplant them if necessary for a plant that couldn’t
handle full sun.

I would like plants with interesting foliage and form to soften the look of the walls, and so would prefer a furry look to a spiny one. Flowers and fragrance are less
important though always nice, and I’m hoping to have at least 2 or 3 different
plant types with different colored foliage (shades of green are fine).

Some of the plants that occur to me, based on the description of your site, are
Brunnera macrophylla, Epimedium, Geranium phaeum, Stachys byzantina, Lamium
maculatum, and Liriope. Of these, the Geranium and Lamium will trail somewhat, while the others are essentially upright.

Graham Rice’s article on the Royal Horticultural Society site features a selection of recommended trailing (or spilling) plants. Here is another good list of trailing plants for walls.

You could also try entering your site requirements into the plant-finding and
plant selection web pages below:

Great Plant Picks (a local site)

King County’s native plant guide

Missouri Botanic Garden Plant Finder

Royal Horticultural Society Plant Finder

The Miller Library has many books on gardening in the shade, so you may wish to
come in and do some research to help you in your plant selection. Here is a booklist that may be of interest.

planting under a sycamore tree

We have a very large beautiful sycamore in our back yard. My roommate
thought it would be nice to build a flower garden around the base of the
tree, but something tells me that doing so would be harmful to the tree’s
root system. Is this true? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I think it should be safe to plant
shallow-rooted, shade- and drought-tolerant perennials and small bulbs
under your sycamore (I’m assuming you mean Platanus species, and not
sycamore maple, which is Acer pseudoplatanus). You just need to be
careful not to pile soil on top of any exposed roots, and try not to
scrape or scuff any roots when you are planting. This tree does have
spreading roots so they may extend out some distance.
More information about the tree can be found on the pages of the U.S. Forest Service.

Some of the plants which may work well in your garden are:

Lamium (but not the invasive Lamium galeobdolon)

Garden Tip #85

If you think a shady garden is a liability there is a good book that will change your mind. Gardening in the Shade (Horticulture Books, 2004) was compiled from articles that originally appeared in Horticulture Magazine. The book is divided into four sections: techniques, general design, plant for shade and step by step projects. Some of the plants suggested are Epimedium, sedge, Cyclamen and Japanese Spicebush (Lindera obtusiloba). Any one with cedar trees in their garden will want to read the essay by a local Northwest writer on coping with dry shade.
Other resources for shade gardening include the classic book, The Complete Shade Gardener by George Schenk (Timber Press, 1984) and the web page created by University of Missouri Extension.