There are several species and hybrids. Do you know which ones you are going to grow? Some are easier than others.

They can get to a couple of feet across and are easily divided. Generally for the unfussy ones just dig a hole and plant them. Water until established. Cut off the old foliage in late winter but make sure you avoid inadvertently cutting off the new shoots.

Here is a link that might be useful: Epimediums

I don't know which ones. Which species is generally easiest to handle? I am somewhat limited by what's at the nursary, they said they come in 1 gal containers.

Paul

All the commonly available Epimediums are extremely easy to grow. Some are clump formers and some (slow) spreaders. Most are highly drought resistant. Any that a local nursery has are probably bullet proof.

I have some 15 or more cultivars, all originally purchased from Darrell Probst, the epimedium man, now focusing his energies on Coreopsis and the breeder of the new Coreopsis cultivars like Cosmic Evolution, Full Moon etc.

I just got my first epimedium at a plant swap last year. I must say, I love it. It's a very nice, subtle plant, and as it didn't get killed by all the workmen we had tromping through the garden this winter, it is obviously pretty bullet-proof.

How closely spacing-wise do I plant them around the tree? The lady said they were 1 gal containers.

They appear to be somewhat hard to fine in my area. Only one nursery seems to carry them.

Paul

Let's not forget about the health of the tree roots during this project. No roto-tilling, no add several inches of new soil, etc. I'd plant very sparingly.

All epis are rhizomatous spreaders and can be expected to spread in width at least 12" but more commonly 18-24" and often greater with age. I consider them "colonizers" :-)) They make a superior groundcover for dry shade and I'd space them out at least 12" apart. Since these are larger plants to begin with, digging sufficiently large holes in rooty soil is hard so best not to locate right up against the tree. I'd site 24-30" away from the trunk.

Probst divides them into spreaders and clumpers in his catalog--Garden Vision (not available on line). The clumpers spread so slowly that you can't call them spreaders. The spreaders spread slowly. You need to know which type is which.

I doubt we need to make that fine a distinction :-) I too grow a large number of epis, including some pretty unique species and hybrids (courtesy of Dan Hinkley/Heronswood Nursery and Naylor Creek Nursery) and ALL have spread over the years to encompass the dimensions outlined previously. And some have grown far beyond! Since it tends to be some of the more uncommon or rare varieties that demonstrate a much slower spread or rate of growth, I think Paul can be safe in the spacing information provided.

If you get good sized plants there's also the possibility of splitting them before you plant them and planting the divisions, thus increasing your stock straight away.

I gotten 3 plants and planted them around the tree with a distance of roughly 2 to 3 feet from the trunk. The tree is an ash, so the roots were fairly deep so I didn't hit too many roots when I dug the hole.

The Epimedium turns out to be epimedium rubrum, which according to the profile should work with the alkaline clay soil in the area. It's supposedly an aggressive spreader, which would actually be welcomed, since the area is choked with weeds.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Paul

I've had E. rubrum for many years, and it is a very slow spreader, much slower in fact than E. sulphureum, which is a slow spreader. I have light, sandy soil and anything that has spreading tendencies will spread very fast in my soil.

BTW, no Epimedium will "choke out weeds". You'll have to weed as the plant spreads, and then it will keep weeds out pretty much. But it won't choke them out by itself.

Ah OK, I thought the profile for rubrum said it was an aggressive spreader. Only time will tell. I did remove the weed prior to planting and will just have to pull them as times go.

Paul

I'm in the same zone as you, paulsiu, actually warmer now, and do not fear it is not aggressive. Another tough one is e.sulphurium or e. versicolor sulphurium. Oh, there are so many lovelies out there. Both rubrum and sulphurium have great spring leaf color, colonize (not run rampant) steadily and as the planting gets more mature and thick, weeds will be suppressed (unless they've had a chance to grow and reproduce while you weren't looking)

See if you can find the mailing address for Garden Visions Epimediums andrequest a catalogue. It is very instructive and tempting; great bedtime reading. They have a limited mail order window, but you may still have a few weeks.

After I studied the catalogue and bought a couple hundred dollars worth of plants in person (I live in MA) I started seeing some of the more unusual ones in better nurseries; much bigger plants at good prices. But I knew what I was seeing and could take advantage of it.

It is good thing to support this small cottage industry. Good quality, very unusual, very wide selection.
I'll look up the place myself and if I find the contact info will post here.

idabean

the link, which I lifted from an earlier epi. post, is
http://home.earthlink.net/~darrellpro/
I think that email address listed must get to the new owner, as well. She worked with Darrell for years, and clearly has some sort of on going arrangement.
idabean

I will include another great epimedium source - Naylor Creek Nursery here in WA state. A superior shade plant mail order source (very highly rated by the "Other Place") with an excellent selection of some pretty uncommon epis as well as a full selection of the standbys. And a whole bunch of other neat shade stuff!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Naylor Creek Nursery