Epimedium x rubrum or Red Barrenwort is this week’s flowering beauty. I always look forward to these small jewels. They aren’t as showy as many other spring flowers and are easily overlooked. They hover a few inches above the soil and can be easily missed if you aren’t looking for them. The flowers come out before or just as the leaf stalks are emerging.
The leaflets are heart-shaped and tinged with red in the spring. They turn a bronzy red in the fall and are usually evergreen in my Cary, NC garden. I remove the old foliage before they bloom so I can see the flowers better. These flowers nod so I needed to hold the camera under them to get these photos. They are such a pleasure to see in early spring.
There are many Epimediums available for gardeners. Tony Avent at Plant Delights Nursery near Raleigh, NC has many species and hybrids available.
