Epimedium pauciflorum

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few-flowered barrenwort

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few-flowered barrenwort RHS
Herbaceous Perennial
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A clump-forming rhizomatous perennial up to 20cm high, with evergreen, sharply toothed leaves of three small, ovate to heart-shaped, sharply toothed leaflets, each up to 2.5cm long, which emerge mottled with bronze in spring and mature to glossy green, and flowers with white sepals and spurred white or pale pink petals, in spring; Epimedium leaves may be used for their nests by leaf-cutting bees

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Berberidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Epimedium are rhizomatous perennials with evergreen or deciduous, ternately or pinnately divided leaves, and open sprays of small, bowl-shaped flowers, often with prominent spurs, in mid to late spring
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade, with shelter from cold, drying winds; where frosts are prolonged or severe, spread an organic mulch such as leaf mould or composted bark to protect plants over winter

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn or after flowering; or by root cuttings of rhizomes, kept under glass in winter, and planted out after all danger of frost has passed

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Banks and slopes
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Ground cover
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
  • Garden edging

Pruning

No pruning required, but cutting back in late winter or early spring, before flower spikes form, will improve appearance

Pests

May be susceptible to vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to mosaic virus diseases and fungal leaf spots