Bishop's Hat Epimedium sempervirens

The common name, Bishops Hat comes from the Epimediums flowers resemblance to headwear worn by members of the clergy, called a biretta.   The Latin word semper translates to always, while virens means green.  Together they refer to this plant being evergreen. 

Bishops Hat is a drought-tolerant ground cover for the shade garden that spreads by rhizomes and is native to Japan. It prefers light to moderate shade in average to organically enriched, medium moist, well-drained, acidic soil. The 1-2 inch blooms are held above the foliage in tightly packed racemes in spring and range in color from white to purple depending on the cultivar. The plant will form nice clumps in time. The foliage is also attractive with spring and fall color changes. It is evergreen in zones 7 and above, while semi-evergreen in cooler zones.

Use Bishops Hat in shady borders, rock gardens, woodland areas or line a walkway.  Established plant can hold water through their rhizomes, making this plant both dry soil and drought tolerant.

It is a low maintenance plant, however, any foliage that does not make it through the winter months should be cut down, allowing new growth to emerge.  Propagation should be done in the early spring or in the fall.  

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Mosaic virus can affect the plant.  Intolerant of alkaline soils.