My favorite plant in the garden this week: Epimedium wushanense

It's been a while since I posted a favorite plant. It's been so hard to choose. There's either too many things or nothing that really catches my eye. This week, though, my Epimedium wushanense is really at its best, and it deserves a post. This meme is hosted by Loree of Danger Garden. Be sure to check in at the end of the month to see her favorites and check the comments for favorites from other bloggers.

For April bloom day and foliage follow-up, I shared these first two photos. I love watching the flower stems rising up. And the new foliage is so gorgeous. It's interesting that the new stems with flowers start out with green leaves that slowly gain the mottled colors, whereas the stems that only have leaves start getting color sooner.

A couple weeks later, the first flowers opened, hiding under the leaves.

Now they're almost all open. Each bloom is almost an inch wide from tip to tip. I think of most epimedium flowers as airy, but these densely-packed, weighty flowers deserve to be called luscious. My plant isn't very big, only a few stems, but there is a second bloom stalk that should start blooming just about the time this one finishes, prolonging the show.

The real draw with this plant, though, is the leaves, especially the new growth. The longest leaves are almost eight inches long, slightly spiny, and richly patterned in greens and reds for weeks.

Foliage like this deserves multiple shots.

You can see the old foliage below the new growth. It was barely touched by winter, so I didn't trim it back like people usually do with epimediums.

The stats on Epimedium wushanense:

• Hardy in USDA zones 5-9
• 18-24 inches tall (some clones are shorter or taller than this)
• Clumps spread slowly to 30 inches or more
• Evergreen, new growth is colorful for weeks
• Tolerates dry shade, but prefers even moisture in rich soil
• Blooms in early May (for me)