Today we’re visiting with Eric Sternfels.
I’ve submitted photos several times before from my personal garden in Northwest Philadelphia (Summer in Eric’s Garden). Here are some photos showing my increasing passion for Epimedium varieties , which have an amusingly wonderful collection of common names: Fairy wings, barrenwort, horny goat weed, and bishop’s cap—quite evocative imagery all.
Epimedium × warleyense ‘Orange Queen’ (Zones 4–8) is growing beside Heuchera ‘Caramel’ (Zones 4–8) and Corydalis lutea (Zones 5–7).
Epimedium ‘Pink Champagne’ (Zones 5–8). Despite their delicate appearance, epimediums are durable plants and are known for their ability to thrive in dry shade.
Another shot of Epimedium ‘Pink Champagne’
Epimedium ‘Lilafee’ (Zones 5–8) has wonderful lavender flowers.
Epimedium ‘Domino’ (Zones 5–8) is known for producing huge numbers of delicate pink blooms.
Epimedium ‘Asiatic Hybrid’ (Zones 5–8) sits next to backyard Buddha. In this variety, the beautiful leaves make a bigger statement than the flowers.
Epimedium wushanense ‘Starlite’ (Zones 5–8) has pale yellow flowers and spiny leaves.
A view of the early garden with its serpentine brick path. Beyond the new leaves just emerging on the purple smokebush (Cotinus coggygria, Zones 4–9) are blooming Stylophorum diphyllum (wood poppy, Zones 4–9), Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ (Zones 3–8), and Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ (Zones 5–9).
The final photo is from Ned Wolf Park, where Eric does a lot of work creating beautiful displays like this one, where dark tulips complement and contrast with the surrounding foliage.
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Comments
In that last photo at Ned Wolf Park, you see Tulipa 'Caravelle Design' with its foliage with creamy margins.. The small but deep plum blooms echo the foliage color of Heuchera 'Carnival Rose Granita' below. Meanwhile, at the top of the photo the foliage of Hosta 'Sagae' and the vertical stripes of a variegated Lily-of-the-Valley, Convallaria majalis 'Yellow Striped,' add the vivid yellow-green color opposite to the red violet spectrum of the tulips
Beautiful. So much to see and admire, especially in the long shot of the garden. Thanks for sharing.
If interested, there are a few earlier photos I've shared of my long skinny garden that you can reach by the link that the GPOD editor added.
Great pictures of the the epimedium plants and enjoy all the varieties with different colors and sizes. Do you have any issues with rabbits eating the flowers? Thanks for the lovely pictures.
Gratefully, although other gardens in this zip code have issues with rabbits, I have yet to see any here. Nor chipmunks. Groundhogs, raccoons, opossum, moles and voles and more squirrels that I can count..... but nary a bunny.
Oh yeah, those are some great plant names for sure! I was always impressed with the name of "Blue Eyed Grass" aka Sisyrinchium angustifolium-- but now...well "Horny Goat Weed" has me laughing.
I just love that brick path with all of your interesting garden plants and Smoke Bush, and now I must have a Epimedium ‘Lilafee’ for my own garden now that I've seen yours!
I've learned a lot about Epimediums from this post, which I've always been curious about!
They really are great for dry shade. The ones that spread quickly here include E. sulphureum, (yellow blooms) and E. roseum (rosy pink blooms).
'Lilafee' is somewhat of a spreader, too, with smaller leaves than most. I don't yet have E. niveum which is small scale with pure white flowers.
NWPhilaGardener aka Eric, thanks for the two replies with infomation on those! I have a lot of dry shade I could put to use.
Wonderful collection of epimedium plants. I also have quite a few but they are late this year here in Michigan.
So fascinating - like beautiful aliens hovering over the foliage.
The one called E.'Domino' - which flowers white with plum colored centers - grow's over 22" tall. (I should have submitted the overall photo and not just the detail). It puts out masses of what looks to me like a flock of tiny birds. And that one seems to be a bit more commonly available these days than some of the other ones.
Absolutely gorgeous!
I wonder how hard it is to find these great plants. Maybe I'm not looking at the right time of year? Something that thrives in dry shade is definitely something I need. Thanks for the great photos and food info!
Bouquet Banquet nursery in Marysville, Washington has a great selection of epimedium.
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