Epimedium ‘Suzuka’

Barrenwort Berberidaceae

Small, elegant and rather Japanese in its restraint, Epimedium ‘Suzuka’ is a relatively recent Japanese cultivar, valued for its compact habit and beautifully clean flowers. It forms a neat clump of foliage, the young leaves attractively speckled and flushed red, before maturing green. In spring, wiry stems carry charming two-tone flowers with rosy-pink sepals and spurs surrounding crisp white petals—a combination that looks particularly good against the fresh spring foliage. 

Unlike some of the larger Epimediums, ‘Suzuka’ remains pleasingly modest, making it particularly useful towards the front of a woodland border, beneath deciduous shrubs or in a shady trough. It appreciates humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil but, like most established Epimediums, is considerably more drought tolerant than its delicate appearance suggests.

A charming little Japanese cultivar: all refinement, no shouting.

Height: 25–30cm | Spread: 30–40cm
Flowering: April–May | Foliage: Deciduous
Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)