Epimedium francheti Brimstone Butterfly - Barrenwort

Small evergreen undershrubs or deciduous perennials, with delicate flowers. These beautiful shade plants can be grown in a border or a large shaded rockery, preferably along a path to fully enjoy their great beauty. They are hardy without any protection down to -12°C (10.4°F), -13°C (8.6°F). The Western species are very cold-resistant and can tolerate difficult conditions, such as dense shade under trees, in very dry or damp clay soil. The Asian species prefer a soil that remains cool and moist in summer, well-drained, rich in humus, without limestone, and also tolerate dense shade. They all grow relatively slowly, but they live for many years without any special care.

Certainly the most vigorous Chinese species of all. Very large lanceolate evergreen leaves, 17 cm (7in) long and 9 cm (4in) wide, finely dentate on the edges, ruby red when they first appear, then apple green and dark green towards the end of the season. This superb selection produces a profusion of flowers with lemon-green sepals, above arched acid-yellow spurs.