I have released two Epimedium cultivars for 2018, one is called Epimedium 'Short Story', it's an unusual hybrid between the Chinese species E. brachyrrhizum and the Japanese E. grandiflorum, capturing the best attributes of both parents. The large silvery pink flowers are abundant and held above the bronzy mottled foliage.


Epimedium 'Short Story', emerging foliage is a striking bronze color, blends beautifully with the soft pink flowers.


Epimedium 'Short Story', maturing foliage turns green with soft red mottling.


As with many Epimedium, particularly with grandiflorum, there is a second flush of leaf growth after flowering, in this cultivar it picks up bold foliage colors from the brachyrrhizum parent, with a brilliant display of bright red markings and mottling.


This plant has been released to Garden Vision Epimediums nursery, with possibly availability autumn 2018, but definitely by spring 2019.
http://www.epimediums.com/

Mark McDonough (AntMan01)

It's beautiful. I'll buy this one. I love epimediums. They're the very best plant for dry shade.

Hi Mark. I have purchased quite a few epimediums from Garden Vision. They have a great selection. The local garden centers only offer a few epimediums, if they offer any at all, so I was thrilled when I found Garden Vision through an on-line search. I have a walking trail through the woods from the driveway to the pond that I've named "Epimedium Walk" and it is where I've planted the epimediums from Garden Vision. The 30 cultivars that I currently have are still immature at 2 years, but I'm hoping that they'll start taking off the way perennials often do in their 3rd year. I'll definitely get 'Short Story' when it is offered for sale. I have been looking at the catalog today and am putting together my 2018 order, which will bring my collection up to about 45 unless I can reign myself in. I live in the woods in Northern Virginia and epimediums thrive in the conditions. Just as important, I have a major deer problem and they leave them alone

Hello Terri, your Epimedium Walk sounds like a lovely landscaping idea, I hope you'll show some photos when your plants flower and mature. With 30 cultivars already, you're off to an ambitious start. Hopefully your woodsy area gets enough moisture, I discovered in our record breaking drought summers of 2011 & 2016, that some Epimedium do not tolerate long periods of drought (mostly grandiflorums & youngianums), whereas others like sempervirens and many Chinese species sail right through a drought unfazed.

I have to get an order into Karen Perkins too, still need to get some cultivars as replacements for one's lost in last drought of 2016, 3/4" of rain in 3 months, our Town had a $500 fine for anyone caught using a hose to water their gardens or lawn. Hard to believe getting such a drought in Massachusetts, 2017 was a better year, and hopefully 2018 will be good year too. Snow is almost gone as of today, no epimedium up yet, I have to get dividing them soon enough to get 6 more I'd like increased this year for introduction.

Only 1 year in the 30 years I've been in my location did I have deer damage on Epimedium, they sheared off about 30 Epimedium to the ground, the plants resprouted by no flowering on those plants that year. Now I've had a 3-year long rabbit explosion, they LOVE to eat tender Epimedium foliage and flower stems, taking steps now to reduce the rabbit population. It's always something.

The other new cultivar that's been released, most likely available spring 2019 at Garden Vision, is 'Mark's Star'.

I have an irrigation system that uses a pump submerged in the 1 acre pond. Last year something went wrong with the pump and I haven't gotten it replaced yet. It is on the to do list for spring when the water temps, while not warm enough to swim in, shouldn't be TOO icy cold for getting in there to mess with the pump replacement. I can also fill 5 gallon buckets from the pond to water if we do end up with drought conditions if the irrigation system is out of commission.

I've been trying to spread my collection out among the different species, but as I look over my records, I see that I seem to gravitate mostly to grandiflorums and then youngianums. I do have some sempervirens, but not as many. I'll keep that in mind as I'm putting together my order. I'll add 'Mark's Star' to my list to purchase when it becomes available too. Thanks!

Oh no on the rabbit explosion. Knock on wood, I haven't had rabbit problems in the almost 30 years I've been here. Deer started becoming a major issue about seven years ago, and last year the moles invaded. Moles make unsightly tunnels everywhere and the dogs go nuts digging trying to get at them, but unlike voles, at least the moles don't eat the roots of the plants.

I was reading your other posts on the Shade Gardening forum and was glad to see them. Shade Gardening is a topic near and dear to my heart, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of activity here and I hadn't been checking it out lately. I'm also going to order the Vancouveria hexandra from Garden Visions. It is a new to me plant - first heard in one of your posts. I'd really like to find the yellow version that you have and will keep an eye out for that. I'll also have to relook at iris cristata. I only have two - the species and 'Powder Blue Giant'. They do well here also, but I guess I had never thought to look for more cultivars until reading some of your posts. Garden Visions isn't selling the one you really like 'Edgar Anderson' this year.

Hello Terri,

Yes I noticed the same thing, not a lot of activity here in Shade Gardening Forum, maybe it gets busier when spring really gets underway. Shade Gardening is a great topic, one that I'm passionate about; people often think there isn't much that grows in shade, perhaps because nurseries seem to focus on plants for sun, yet there's a whole world of fine showy plants for shady locations.

Good luck with pump repairs, how fortunate you are to have a pond to draw water from.

There are so many fine Epimedium grandiflorum & youngianums cultivars to select from, I think I used to have every cultivar that Garden Vision offers, although with losses from two drought years I still have many that need replacement. There are other epimedium types that can add more diversity, one excellent one is E. brevicornu. I'm slowly adding photos to the NGA database on Epimedium (many of the Epimedium records are empty here), take a look at brevicornu photos on the following link, it grows like a small bush shape (although it is deciduous), beautiful rounded red-mottled leaves, and sprays of small white flowers above the foliage. I like this plant as upright "anchor" along corners of garden paths.
Epimedium brevicornu

Another interesting one is E. 'Black Sea', an evergreen hybrid with foliage that turns near black in winter (thus the cultivar name), and tall spires of light orange flowers in spring, quite showy, and a slow spreader versus a tight clumper. The NGA record for this is still blank, but I will update it soon with lots of good photos, I get lots of acorns for this.

Regarding garden pests, I'm fortunate that deer only rarely make a passing trip through the yard. With rodents, it's a constant war with mice, voles, moles, shrews, chipmunks, and squirrels. With the tunneling type rodents, when I trap at a vole tunnel over many days, I end up catching voles, moles, and shrews... they all use or re-use the same tunnel runs. Chipmunks with move in too, and greatly expand the size of whole and tunnels. Everyday I trap on all fronts, to even have a chance at having a reasonable garden.