A Harlequin Effect for Bishop's Hat
Large Blooms Appear over an Extra-Long Season
Plant Patent 17,179. These airy long-spurred blooms may remind you for a minute of Aquilegia, but they love even more shade and sport a rounded, spidery look. Yellow and reddish-purple, they appear to float in the air, dangling from very thin, wiry brown stems. But don't let their delicate appearance fool you -- they keep coming for months on an early-blooming, vigorous ground cover! The flowers measure 1 1/2 to 2 inches across, larger than most Epimediums and unbelievably colorful when the sun hits them. Happy in partial to full shade, they begin in early spring and continue through to summer, ceasing only when the seriously hot weather arrives. 'Fire Dragon' is a clumping perennial just 6 to 9 inches high (out of bloom) but spreading anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet wide. Its foliage is yellow-green to gray-green, a mottled and marbled mix held in two distinct layers well below the bloooms. Very handsome! 'Fire Dragon' was introduced in 2005, bred from crosses of E. davidii x E. leptorrhizum. The result is far showier than either parent, breathing new life into the Bishop's Hat (in this case, the hat must surely be a mitre!) family. To enjoy this plant up close, grow it in containers or front and center of the rock garden or shade border. It puts on a long, lovely show. Epimedium is still underused in American gardens, but with this trio of exciting new cultivars from British breeder Robin White, it may be about to rocket to stardom. The perfect complement to Ferns, Hostas, and Hellebores in the shade garden, its spidery winged blooms and airy foliage stand out brilliantly. And it blooms earlier than most other perennials, setting buds while others are just leafing out. Easy to grow from bulbs, it is semi-evergreen and cold-hardy to -10 degrees F, blooming for two to three months and scrambling across bare soil beautifully. If you like 'Fire Dragon,' take a look at White's other two stars: Pink Elf and Amber Queen. The time has come for this fascinating shade-lover! Zones 5-8.
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