Epimedium grandiflorum Cupreum - Fairy Wings

Epimedium 'Cupreum', also known as Elf Flower or Barrenwort, is one of those plants that, like ivy, provides a good solution for difficult situations, such as dry shade under large trees. This charming perennial rhizomatous plant also has beautiful evergreen foliage and produces delicate spikes of small pastel flowers in soft coppery pink and primrose yellow in spring. Its young foliage is marbled with red, then turns green in summer. Its spreading habit makes it a perfect ground cover for shade or semi-shade, even among the roots of other plants.

Belonging to the berberidaceae family, Epimedium versicolor Cupreum originates from a plant called Epimedium versicolor, a hybrid between the Asian E. grandiflorum and the Turkish E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum. This rhizomatous plant sometimes takes a little while to establish, but eventually forms beautiful evergreen mats with a loose clump-like habit, covering an area of over 1 square metre. It produces delicate small bicolored flowers, about 2 cm (1in) in size, with an original shape. They consist of 4 pink petals with long spurs, surrounding a pale yellow calyx, perched on slender and flexible stems. This elegance and delicacy is where it gets its name "Elf Flower" from. Its foliage, usually evergreen, consists of narrow ciliate leaflets, with a medium green color that turns a beautiful purple in spring.

The Elf Flower thrives in cool conditions and tolerates the competition from other plant roots, which allows it to be used to cover the base of trees and bushes. A plant for light woodland, it is hardy down to -15°C (5°F) and particularly appreciates humus-rich soil, although it adapts to almost any ordinary soil. 'Versicolor Cupreum' Barrenwort is a perfect plant for effectively covering and flowering difficult areas for a long time, but it would be a shame to confine it to a utilitarian ground cover role: when accompanied by astilbes, Ferns, Hostas, Foxgloves and Candelabra Primroses, and sweet woodruff, it will create a superb bed for light shade.