Species barrenwort
white flowers and pink-green leaves on light-brown petioles and stems

barrenwort

Epimedium x youngianum

Barrenwort (Epimedium x youngianum) is a showy, perennial plant with evergreen foliage. Its leathery, heart-shaped leaves are strongly veined in shades of light green to deep bronze, and flowers appear in spring and summer with fragrant, white to yellow blooms. Brightly colored seedpods follow. This shade-tolerant, deer-resistant plant may be used as a ground cover or along pathways. It thrives in average-to-rich, well-drained and slightly acidic soils and requires little to no fertilizer. Barrenwort does best in cooler climates and can be easily divided every few years for replanting.

Cycle:

Herbaceous Perennial

Watering:

Average

Propagation:

Division

Hardiness Zone:

5

Flowers:

Showy, White, (cv. Roseum has dusky pink to purple flowers) Flowers In Spring

Sun:

Deep shade, Filtered shade, Part sun/part shade

Soil:

Humus rich

Fruits:

Fruits Ready In Fall

Leaf:

Yes

Leaf Color:

bronze,green,yellow

Growth Rate:

Moderate

watering

Barrenwort plants prefer moist, well-drained soil. They should be watered regularly in the spring when the soil is dry. During the hottest parts of summer, water only every 10-14 days. In the fall, water less frequently as the plants are beginning to enter dormancy. Too much and too frequent watering can be damaging to this plant species.

sunlight

Barrenwort (Epimedium x youngianum) is best grown in partial shade, with around 4 to 6 hours of sunlight per day and some additional dappled shade. During the spring and summer months, this plant should remain in dappled shade or light shade, avoiding direct sunlight. In the fall, it can tolerate more direct sunlight, but should still receive some morning or afternoon shade. When in full bloom, this plant can tolerate full sun for short periods of time, as long as the temperatures remain moderate to cool. In hot climates, it is best to keep this plant in the shade.

pruning

Barrenwort is an herbaceous perennial that should be pruned in the late winter or early spring. Pruning this plant removes dead or damaged foliage and encourages new growth. The amount of pruning required will depend on the size of the plant and how much dead or damaged foliage needs to be cut away. Large plants can have around 1-third of the foliage removed, while small plants should have only smaller amounts of foliage removed. After pruning, it is important to fertilize with an all-purpose fertilizer and water the plant thoroughly. This will ensure that the plant can quickly recover from the pruning and add new growth.

Season

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Starts Flowering

Epimedium x youngianum typically starts flowering in April.

Harvest Fruit

Epimedium x youngianum typically blooms in late spring and early summer, so the months to start harvesting the fruits would be June, July, and August.

Hardiness Map