A UK National Collection

Epimediums

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilac Seedling' ex Washfields

'Lilac Seedling' ex Washfields was one we bought at Beth Chatto’s garden at Elmstead Market in Essex. We have three E. grandiflorum varieties with ‘Lilac’ in their names, and they are all quite distinct from each other. This one has less lilac than either of the others, being a white flower with the inner sepals merely edged with lilac. It has been a reasonable survivor with us. 

General information on Epimedium grandiflorum

Distribution – Japan (Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokiado). Northern Korea and southern Manchuria.

Description – A medium sized fairly deciduous species with widespread distribution through Japan etc. growing in deciduous woodland. It was introduced to Great Britain in the 1830s. With its wide geographical range through the various Japanese islands etc., a good deal of variation has occurred. Flower colour of the plants found in the wild varies widely: yellow, white, pink, lilac and reddish to purple. Add to this the large number of plants attributed to E grandiflorum that have arisen in cultivation and there may be hundreds of cultivars already named.