Epimedium ‘Royal Purple’

Barrenwort  Berberidaceae

A name that promises purple—and, refreshingly, delivers. Epimedium ‘Royal Purple’ is a Belgian selection by Koen Van Poucke, introduced around 2016, and one of his particularly successful modern hybrids. It is a vigorous, evergreen clumper with large flowers and handsome young foliage. 

In spring, tall, wiry stems carry remarkably rich carmine-pink to intense purple-red flowers, with the colour deepening towards the centre. The blooms are held well above the foliage, while the emerging leaves are attractively flushed and mottled in bronze, pink and green. It is an exceptionally good combination of flower and foliage colour—and one of those Epimediums that tends to stop visitors in their tracks.

Happy in partial or full shade, ‘Royal Purple’ appreciates humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil but becomes surprisingly tolerant of dry shade once established. A superb modern cultivar for woodland planting and one of the more convincing candidates for the Epimedium royal family.

Height: 30–45cm | Spread: 40–50cm
Flowering: April–May | Foliage: Evergreen
Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)