Epimedium Elenwe - Barrenwort

Epimedium 'Elemwe' is a variety of hybrid epimedium that stands out for its significant growth: when in bloom, the plant generally reaches a height of 60 cm (24in). Its cream-white flowers with a touch of pink and pale gold are relatively large for an epimedium and resemble columbines. They bloom in the spring, grouped in clusters, on a clump of olive green foliage speckled with brown. This foliage persists in mild winters. This variety grows in partial shade, in humus-rich, well-drained soil that remains slightly moist in the summer.

Belonging to the Berberidaceae family, the 'Elenwe' Epimedium is a recent horticultural creation by Thierry Delabroye. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant that establishes itself quite rapidly, forming a clump of foliage about 35 cm (14in) high, occupying 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) of ground space. It produces delicate flowers measuring 2.5 to 3 cm (1in) wide, which hang downwards, somewhat resembling columbines. They are composed of 4 petals with long spurs on slender and branching stems. Its foliage can be evergreen in winter and is composed of large dentate leaflets, olive green in summer, turning bronze with rust-coloured spots in spring and autumn.

Epimedium thrives in cool conditions and tolerates root competition from other plants quite well, making it suitable for the base of trees and bushes in rainy regions. As a plant of lightly shaded woodlands, it prefers humus-rich soils. The 'Elenwe' Epimedium is an exceptional perennial that deserves to be prominently placed in the garden, or even a large pot on the terrace. It pairs well with Saxifraga fortunei, Hepatica nobilis, Ferns, Hostas, Foxgloves, and other Candelabra Primroses that excel in lightly shaded beds.