Epimedium - various threads gathered together here

[TheOnionMan]

Mark - your hybrids are all very beautiful  I am partial to the little plants in general.
I am trying to increase my evergreens Epimediums but not doing any controlled crosses, just for fun and because they are so easy to grow from seeds.

Thanks Gabriela, I like that you're growing Epimedium from seed "just for fun and because they are so easy to grow from seed"; exactly so!  Once one puts together a decent collection of species and cultivars, the fun is to make your own garden-worthy hybrids at little or no cost, for one's own enjoyment. Weed out the Frankenstein epimedium hybrids that have all the worst traits combined; in my 2017 season just starting now, I have a number of franken-eppies to get rid of, but occasionally one gets lucky with something special.

Your hybrid of E. davidii "Wolong Dwarfs" looks intriguing, I totally understand your excitement and anticipation of seeing first time bloom on new plants. My davidii "Wolong Dwarf" suffered terribly with drought several years ago, I moved it to try to save it, but summer of 2016 was a record-breaking drought and now in spring 2017 I see no signs of life from the small piece that I managed to keep going.  Show us your hybrid again at full bloom, whole plant included :-)

[TheOnionMan]

I love this Pink Pygmy, name that one and export it to Europe   

Thx, I will get this in the hands of a nursery person, so that it will eventually become available. Still thinking of a name.

[TheOnionMan]

Re: 'Mizuhomaru" possible translation meaning, 'Rice Circle' (when Mizuho Maru) vs. 'Water Flame' (when Mizu Homaru), translation as 'Rice Circle' sounds the better bet, because the strongly incurved spurs create a circle.

You (Wim) wrote "E. epsteinii does quite well over here (but our winters aren't as harsh as yours), it does need some
watering in summer though."
That makes sense to me now, I had a good looking plant in 2010 & spring 2011, but the summer of 2011 was one of the worst droughts in 20 years, only one small piece survived, which persists to this day, but does not want to grow.

You (Wim) wrote "Pics of Mukawa Genpei and Akagi (S)(Z)akura attached."
Thanks: 'Akagi Zakura' looks really special, such deep & intense flower color. Seems that in Europe lots more access to Japanese cultivars than in the USA.

You (Wim) wrote "I don't grow chocolate lace and have never seen it in real life, but I looked it up and those leaves are yummy!"
The leaf show is indeed good, but like many Epimedium, it's short lived in spring. The flowers on E. grandiforum f. flavescens 'Chocolate Lace" are essentially hidden by the expanding foliage.  In my "Chocolate Morsels" nicknamed hybrid, at least some of the flowers are at equal height with the leaves, but still room for much improvement.  I post a few photos of Darrell Probst's Chocolate Lace':

Note: its been so long since active on the forum, forgotten how to add multiple open/close quotations of previous replies.

[WimB]

Mark - your hybrids are all very beautiful  I am partial to the little plants in general.
I am trying to increase my evergreens Epimediums but not doing any controlled crosses, just for fun and because they are so easy to grow from seeds.

My first to flower is a hybrid from OP E. davidii 'Wolong Dwarf' - not fully open but I don't have patience, very spidery and about 15 cm tall.

It goes through a tremendous transformation from the flower buds - fully open flowers

Nice selection, Gabriela. Would be great to cross it with Lilliputian (since it's only 15 cm tall). I don't grow 'Wolong Dwarf' either, that one would be great for crossing too, I think.

Good of you to show the flowerbuds, they can be very beautiful too and yours is great.

My davidii "Wolong Dwarf" suffered terribly with drought several years ago, I moved it to try to save it, but summer of 2016 was a record-breaking drought and now in spring 2017 I see no signs of life from the small piece that I managed to keep going.

I read this form was found in a very wet environment, I can imagine it doesn't appreciate your dry summers, Mark! 

[WimB]

Re: 'Mizuhomaru" possible translation meaning, 'Rice Circle' (when Mizuho Maru) vs. 'Water Flame' (when Mizu Homaru), translation as 'Rice Circle' sounds the better bet, because the strongly incurved spurs create a circle.

I'll ask one of my Japanese friends

That makes sense to me now, I had a good looking plant in 2010 & spring 2011, but the summer of 2011 was one of the worst droughts in 20 years, only one small piece survived, which persists to this day, but does not want to grow.

I almost killed it in the first year I had it growing here bc I didn't water it, now it's in a corner of the garden which gets watered every other day. Just noticed that it isn't as floriferous this year, I need to divide and replant the plant I think!

Thanks: 'Akagi Zakura' looks really special, such deep & intense flower color. Seems that in Europe lots more access to Japanese cultivars than in the USA.

A.Z. is a wild selection from Akagi mountain in Japan. It's a very intense pink/salmon coloured one. A few of our European plant addicts visit Japan regularly and do import quite a bit.

The leaf show is indeed good, but like many Epimedium, it's short lived in spring. The flowers on E. grandiforum f. flavescens 'Chocolate Lace" are essentially hidden by the expanding foliage.  In my "Chocolate Morsels" nicknamed hybrid, at least some of the flowers are at equal height with the leaves, but still room for much improvement.  I post a few photos of Darrell Probst's Chocolate Lace'

Thanks for the pics. I love the leaves (even though they loose their colour quickly) but I like your morsels better. Some more hybridising work with that one!

[TheOnionMan]

I almost killed it in the first year I had it growing here bc I didn't water it, now it's in a corner of the garden which gets watered every other day. Just noticed that it isn't as floriferous this year, I need to divide and replant the plant I think!

Yes, I think dryness/drought is the problem here, although it's not every year, but 2011 and 2016 were record breaking for drought; I estimate I lost about two dozen plants from last year's extreme drought and my pitiful attempts to keep them alive with hand watering.

A.Z. is a wild selection from Akagi mountain in Japan. It's a very intense pink/salmon coloured one. A few of our European plant addicts visit Japan regularly and do import quite a bit.

Good to know about A.Z., the rich color is most appealing, would indeed be a good one for hybridizing with.

[TheOnionMan]

Today it was a beautiful warm sunny day, and epimedium are popping open all over. I spent a good part of the day attending to the garden and all thing Epimedium, before the predicted 2" (5cm) of rain the next two days. There were enough flowers out to do some hybridizing, although the options are a bit restrictive due to limited varieties being in flower yet.  The most exciting part of course is seeing first bloom on seedlings, have some of those odd Frankenstein type hybrids, but then a couple very nice surprise. 

I've often used stellulatum and its hybrids as seed parent. Saw this one today for the first time, looks like classic stellulatum in basic flower shape but it's a nice pink color.

The second is a buff-orange color on a pinnatum ss. colchicum seedling, it flowered last year but I had forgotten about it. Will single it out and see how it does in time.  Not earth shattering but a little different color. Had a heck of a time trying to get an in-focus photo.

[TheOnionMan]

Getting first bloom on a batch of OP Epimedium ilicifolium, most are just in bud yet, but one had opened two flowers, surprised me as the bloom is nothing like ilicifolium, although they all have very prickly spiny leaf edges but seedlings with varying width leaves, almost none of them with leaves as narrow as ilicifolium.  The foliage in the first pic is last year's foliage which is fairly battered and winter-burned, I did not shear off the old foliage on these younger plants.

[Gabriela]

Wow! I would love a pink stellulatum type Epimedium.
I have few young seedlings of OP stellulatum but non-flowering. I will probably get few of those what you call Frankestein hybrids from OP of E. 'Amber Queen', they should start flowering soon (well, I can keep them just for the foliage - the advantage of the evergreens).

[WimB]

It's not every day, you can see yourself in flower  Epimedium 'Wim Boens' (rhizomatosum x davidii). Was named 7 years ago by Daniëlle Monabaliou from "Epimedium nursery" in Belgium. Grows like and has roots like rhizomatosum but flowers like davidii.

[Maggi Young]

How lovely to see "you" looking so very well, Wim!

[WimB]

A new selection by Koen Van Poucke...a very small but very floriferous plant with clouds of small white/yellow flowers, which can lighten up a corner of the shadegarden.

Epimedium 'Moonlight'

[Gabriela]

It's not every day, you can see yourself in flower  Epimedium 'Wim Boens' (rhizomatosum x davidii). Was named 7 years ago by Daniëlle Monabaliou from "Epimedium nursery" in Belgium. Grows like and has roots like rhizomatosum but flowers like davidii.

Looking good Wim 

Here is my second davidii hybrid flowering. I don't know if someone will call it 'Gabriela' at some point It is very compact and the foliage is super nicely coloured, will see how long the colouration lasts.


It was a bit unclear for me what was happening because in the fall I planted all 3 davidii seedlings in one place (no space for more pots). This is Hd1 which flowered first.


This image explains it all (at the left Primula frondosa gives a hint about their size).

[WimB]

Here is my second davidii hybrid flowering. I don't know if someone will call it 'Gabriela' at some point It is very compact and the foliage is super nicely coloured, will see how long the colouration lasts.
It was a bit unclear for me what was happening because in the fall I planted all 3 davidii seedlings in one place (no space for more pots). This is Hd1 which flowered first.
This image explains it all (at the left Primula frondosa gives a hint about their size).

Nice hybrid, Gabriela...I do love the leaf colour!

[TheOnionMan]

Been quiet on these pages.

Wim, I need to one day get your namesake Epimedium, have to have Wim Boens in my collection
Epimedium 'Moonlight' is very cute, love the yellow split cup and white sepals, rather unique. Someone needs to start some sort of name registry for Epimedium, otherwise duplicate names are bound to happen.

Gabriela, excellent foliage color on your davidii hybrid, making a bright show in the garden.

Well, spring finally took off here and Epimedium season is exploding, taking TOO MANY photos to even begin posting. Reviewing first bloom on young plants is exciting, and as weather permits I've been hybridizing for hours every day.  Recently did my annual Garden Vision Epimedium purchase, pickup, and display garden meander, Karen Perkins display gardens with innumerable groupings of Epimedium and other woodland plants looked like pure magic, at peak color and sheer loveliness, even in the rain.

Two of my Epimedium hybrids were dropped off with Karen, and based on size of plants and likely number of divisions, might be available for purchase spring 2018.

Revisiting my "pink mini-grandi", it's looking better than ever this year, uploaded here are 3 recent photos. Wim, been thinking about low growing Epimedium; do you grow 'Fire Dragon' (davidii x leptorrhizum) or 'Yachimata Hime'?  'Fire Dragon' now in its 3rd year is not very tall, maybe 4"-5", same with Yachimata Hime, the tiny leaflets on it stippled and very attractive.