April 28, 2020
Coronavirus Casualties
When I added the Wild & Crazy Foliage Collection to this year’s offerings, who knew that I would be describing the year itself! We all just have to do the best we can to keep ourselves and each other sane and safe. Some things are under our control, while others are not. My spring sales and events almost all been cancelled. Go to the Plant Sales and Lectures tab on this website for the current status of events. I also have made the difficult decision to cancel my Open Nursery Days during bloom season this year, in compliance with Massachusetts guidelines. I hope to appease my would-be visitors by offering the chance to place orders for Quick pick–up during the month of May.
In the meanwhile, try to get your hands on the June #193 issue of Fine Gardening Magazine. My friend and former co-worker Joann Vieira authored an article extolling the virtues of epimediums, using some of my photos, and also photos of my garden.
And speaking of photos, I am posting current photos of bloom in the nursery on my Epimediumgal Instagram feed at the bottom of this website page, so you can follow it through the season. It will be the next best thing to being there. And who knows, you may just discover a new favorite that you might have missed on your visit.
Having no print catalog this year means that I need to tweak my customers in other ways to remind them that Epimedium season is nigh. I can’t think of a better diversion in these strange times. So here goes….
Wild and Crazy Collection
If you can’t tell from some of my past posts, I think that one of the best things about epimediums is their wonderful spring foliage colors and patterns. That is the inspiration for this year’s Wild & Crazy Epimedium Collection— six different Epimedium varieties with remarkable flower and spring foliage coloration, offered at a discount.
When people ask me what my favorite Epimedium is, it is hard to pick just one, but E. x versicolor ‘Cupreum’ is definitely in my top ten (see photo in bloom above). Emerging among the earliest epimediums, ‘Cupreum’ is a riot of color between blossom and leaf. The medium-sized blooms are a mix of raspberry/salmon and yellow, and sit just above the leaflets, which are veined in scarlet over fresh spring green. Just beautiful. It is what I call a “semi-spreader”, meaning that it travels about 2-4″ a year here in Massachusetts, so it won’t take over your garden any time soon. It is the only spreading variety in this collection.
For a totally different look, try E. x youngianum ‘Starlet’. This cultivar encircles each medium-sized spring leaflet with a sponge-painted deep purple band. The lavender flowers fade to white at their edges against the patterned foliage. This eye-catching mix of color patterns was created by Diana Reeck of the former Collector’s Nursery. Another early blooming and very floriferous selection, it starts at 6″ in bloom, and tops out at 11 inches.
If you are looking for an Epimedium that takes up more real estate, E. grandiflorum ‘Bicolor Giant’, may be your best bet. It doesn’t spread, but its mature size tops out at about 20″ tall and 3′ across in my Massachusetts garden. It has some of the largest, heart-shaped leaves of any Epimedium, with a reddish tinge appearing just as the plant goes out of bloom. So, like those new-fangled, programmable Christmas lights, the leaves start out green, then flush to red, then fade back to green again, ending with a bit of a burnished-red “last hurrah” as fall begins. The flowers are large, two-toned pink, and are borne in profusion on trusses thrust out from under the newly emerging leaflets. Their bright, neon color alone draws your eye from quite a distance.
E. sempervirens ‘Candy Hearts’ is a short (to about 9″ tall), but bold-textured Epimedium with medium-sized, heart-shaped leaves. Its numerous, soft lavender-pink flowers have an opalescent sheen that catches the light, much as a mass of pink pearls would. The new spring foliage has a reddish-maroon tinge that gradually recedes to the edge of the leaf and then fades to green at maturity. They also have a distinct shine to them. An early bloomer, it has the added benefit of being a good drought-tolerant clumping Epimedium— not a common combination of traits.
E. ‘Sunshowers’ is an early and particularly long bloomer. It is one of the first epimediums to flower, and one of the last to finish. Loads of soft, butter-yellow flowers scatter like floral canaries over the numerous, small spring leaflets, speckled and splotched with artistic brown markings. Short in bloom at only 5-6″ tall, it finishes with a second growth flush to about 12″. During a cool spring it is not unusual to have a month of bloom from this variety, a hybrid created by Kelly Dodson, who owns Far Reaches Farm in Port Townsend, WA with his partner Sue Milliken. Far Reaches Farm is an awesome mail order or destination nursery for plant nerds if it is not already on your radar.
Another specked variety is the dainty cultivar, E. x youngianum ‘Jenny Wren’ for those who prefer lavender pink blooms and a quieter demeanor. Plantsman John Marchacos of Connecticut is the creator of this diminutive beauty. The small leaflets are have a soft purple wash, and are occasionally flecked with irregular burgundy splatters. It is also an early bloomer, 5″ tall in first bloom, eventually reaching 12″. These last two cultivars make great additions to fairy gardens.
But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself by ordering your own collection.
Looking on the bright side of the times we are living in, I’ve been inspired to contact friends I haven’t talked to in some time, there is more time to garden and to cook, and to enjoy spring at a slower pace. Some of my customers who normally see me at on-site sales have also been incentivized to place a mail order. They are finding out how much that opens up their choices, as there are only so many different kinds of plants that I can stuff into a Kia Soul. I guess things are not all bad if you are healthy. Stay safe, stay sane, and do what you can to help others less able, and enjoy this beautiful season outdoors.
Karen Perkins
