Family Berberidaceae.
Originating from E. Asia and the Mediterranean.
- Dense carpets of heart-shaped green leaves are flushed maroon in spring.
- Delicate clouds of purple spidery flowers appear in spring over the foliage.
- Easy-to-grow deciduous ground cover thriving in light soil in part shade.
Bishop’s Mitre Lilafee in Your Garden
Exquisitely formed, delicate purple flowers hover like mini helicopters over dense mounds of cute heart-shaped foliage. Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ slowly spreads as a reliable ground cover, its pendulous bell-shaped petals with pinky-white spurs are borne on slender stems, creating an airy, rich haze in spring.
Hardy in all UK gardens, it reaches 30cm high and wide in 2–5 years and flourishes in woodland conditions, even in dry shade once established. Its dense mounds of foliage are indispensable for growing under small trees such as Acers in Suffolk’s oriental-style gardens. Enjoy its dainty flowers close-up from Norfolk’s shady patios by planting it close to seating areas or in pots.
There are few purple-flowered ground-cover plants for shade that can equal ‘Lilafee’s display of intricately structured colourful flowers. Their elegant, white-tinted horizontal spurs whirl like propellers above a central cluster of pendulous purple bell-shaped petals. Held at jaunty angles well above the leaves, on wiry stems, they are highly mobile in the slightest breeze.
Growing Tips for Your Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’
- Soil and Sun: Plant in any non-alkaline light soil; part shade is ideal.
- Planting: Set in spring or autumn; summer planting requires extra attention to watering. Plunge for 20 minutes to drench the root ball before planting.
- Watering: Water newly set plants regularly while rooting out. Established plants tolerate dry spells.
- Pruning: Remove old foliage in late winter-early spring before new growth appears.
Thriving in difficult-to-plant areas, this purple-flowered ground-cover for shade transforms problematic garden areas into rewarding and reliable displays. Its spring maroon-flushed foliage is as showy as a floral flourish. Turning a cheerful green for summer, their fiery autumn colours make a spectacular autumn finale.
Planting Ideas for the Barrenwort ‘Lilafee’
Cultivate carpets of cute heart-shaped leaves to knit together woodland plantings. Add mounds of showy foliage and flowers, frothing and flowing around taller species. Epimediums stellulatum long-leaved and ‘Asiatic Hybrid’, Carex ‘Everest’ and ‘Everlime’, and Cornus canadensis make ornamental understoreys of foliage and flowers. They cover open soil and suppress weeds, making a soft springboard from which small trees and shrubs can shine.
Add larger foliage to your jungle or woodland communities of plants, contrasting with the profuse mats of smaller leaves. Hostas ‘Halcyon’, ‘Blue Mammoth’, and ‘Wide Brim’, Dryopteris sieboldii, Asplenium ‘Undulatum’, and Darmera peltata make a bold and lush setting. Dryopteris lepidopoda and buschiana add a lacy twist, making an abundant and varied mantle for Acers, shrubs, and palms alike.
