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How to Grow Barrenwort

Epimedium grandiflorum

Perennial

Epimedium is a tough, elegant ground cover for dry shade, producing dainty spurred flowers in spring above heart-shaped leaves that often flush bronze or copper when young. Cut back all old foliage in late January to reveal the flowers. Once established it suppresses weeds effectively and tolerates root competition from trees. Virtually pest-free and long-lived.

Yearly Lifecycle

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JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Spring Growth Flowering Growing Leaf Fall

Care Essentials

Mulch with leaf mould in autumn. No additional feeding needed — epimediums thrive in poor, dry soil under trees.

Watch For

  • Vine weevil larvae eating roots in containers
  • Slow to establish in first two years
  • Old foliage hiding spring flowers if not cut back

Track your Barrenwort care schedule — pruning, feeding, and seasonal tasks

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Log Barrenwort in your garden — track growth, care, and harvests year after year

Start planning free