Also called bishop's hat, epimedium grandiflorum is a low-growing plant that bears waxy flowers shaped like a bishop's mitre. It is astonishingly tough, able to thrive in areas ranging from frigid to nearly tropical, though it does not tolerate desert conditions well.
Description
According to Sunset Magazine, epimedium grandiflorum is a deciduous plant that grows via underground stems and reaches about 1 foot in height. Its common names are longspur epimedium or bishop's hat.
Hardiness
Sunset indicates that epimedium grandiflorum is hardy in zones 2 to 9, 14 to 17, and 31 to 43, which means it will grow pretty much anywhere the temperature doesn't dip below -50 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. It does require regular water and it prefers at least some shade, so it won't do well in the desert zones of 10 through 13.
Leaves and Flowers
All members of the epimedium genus have thin, stiff stems that bear leaves and flowers. The flowers have four spurred or hooded petals and eight sepals--four inner and four outer--that surround the center of the flower. The grandiflorum species includes varieties with pink, violet and rose flowers. The leaves are 3 to 4 inches long and are brownish-pink in the spring, green in summertime, and bronze in the autumn.
Uses in the Garden
Gardeners use epimedium as a ground cover around and under other plants, because besides its low growth habit, it tolerates shade well. Sunset suggests planting it with azaleas, rhododendrons or camellias, or under trees. Epimedium grandiflorium also works well in containers or rock gardens.
Cultivation
Horticulturalists at the Heronswood Nursery in Warminster, Pennsylvania, advise you to get your epimediums planted as quickly after buying them as you can. The plants prefer moist, rich soil and some shade. They can grow well in heavy shade, however, so you can use them to fill in areas in your shade garden.
To plant epimediums, dig holes twice as deep and wide as the pots your plants are growing in. Mix slow-release fertilizer into the dirt that came out of the holes and then put some of that dirt back into the holes. Put the plants into the holes and fill in around and below them so their roots are well covered and the stems are even with the top of the holes. Water the plants well. As they grow, continue to water the plants regularly.
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