August 26, 2022
Hot and dry has been the theme for the last couple of months, so I am so very glad that have seen the end of the Dog Days of Summer (July 3-Aug 11, according to the Farmer’s Almanac). My neck of the woods in north central Massachusetts is officially in a critical drought stage. You know that it is dry when you see plants showing the backs of their leaves. In looking over my Epimedium beds, I’ve noticed that the plants sited in several hours of sun with no irrigation have yellow, bleached-out foliage. Other than providing them with a well-drained, humus-rich soil, and a mulch of shredded maple leaves, I tend not to fuss over my epimediums during the growing season, other than to keep the beds weeded. I have held out on watering so far, but am now putting a sprinkler through its paces. I water one area a day for 3 hours, so as not to deplete my well and to make sure that the water penetrates deeply into the soil.
I also noticed that a few plants had several necrotic leaves. At first I attributed that to drought stress, but upon further investigation, I discovered that a vole has been making a meal of their underground woody stems.
Luckily, unlike with hostas, where the feasting voles usually leave only the stray dead leaves and their petioles behind, voles tend to tunnel below the epimedium and eat just the undersides of the woody underground rhizomes (stems).
I cut back the damaged foliage and re-set the clump in close contact with the soil, to re-establish the plant. Rehabilitation will take time, but by next spring I expect it to behave like a newly established plant.
Voles only occasionally munch the epimediums in my garden. If I re-set the rhizomes in contact with the soil, to date, I have never lost an entire plant to their feasting. Hostas and small species Iris seem to be their favorites in my garden.
For those of you who haven’t tired of adding plants you your garden yet, I am still taking orders for Quick Pick-Up at my Massachusetts nursery. Choose any day in September that fits your schedule to make your pick-up, and I will have your plants packed and ready to go, along with care instructions. Just visit the Home Page and go to the Catalogue pull down menu and select 2022 Web Catalog to see a listing of plants available for sale.
I have also added a few plant sales and epimedium talks to my fall schedule. On Sat. Sept. 10 I will be selling plants at the Massachusetts Master Gardener’s Fall Symposium in Waltham, MA. On Sunday, Oct. 2, I will be speaking to the Great Lakes Region Chapter of NARGS (North American Rock Garden Society) where I will also have epimediums for sale. Lastly on Sat. Nov. 12 (date still tentative), you will find me back in Ithaca, NY talking epimediums and selling plants to the Adirondack Chapter of NARGS.
I am also scheduled to speak to several groups in 2023 and will have plants for sale if the season allows. By then, technically, I will be retired, but will continue to promote and sell epimediums (cash/check only) through my talks. Click on the Plant Sales & Lectures tab for my up to date schedule. As always, if you are interested specific plants, contact me at least a week ahead of the event and I will make sure to bring them with me. I look forward to seeing many of you this fall!
Karen Perkins
Garden Vision Epimediums
