Ornamental · Berberidaceae
Barrenwort
Epimedium grandiflorum
Tough, deer-proof, and happy in dry shade, barrenwort spreads its heart-shaped leaflets across ground where little else grows.
Partial shade
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–8
10–18 in · 25–46 cm
Overview
Barrenwort builds a low mat of wiry, dark stems and heart-shaped leaflets in the shaded, root-filled ground under trees and shrubs. It belongs to the barberry family, and the thin leaflets are held singly on slender stalks, their edges fringed with fine teeth. In spring the plant sends up airy sprays of small flowers, each tipped with slender backward-pointing spurs that read like a tiny bishop's hat or a set of fairy wings.
The foliage carries the longer interest, and it changes through the year. Fresh leaflets often open flushed with a red or bronze tint before they settle into a smooth green, and on many kinds the leaves hang on, leathery and tinted, well into winter. Cut the tired, weathered old growth to the ground in late winter and the new spring flush rises clean, the flowers held clear on bare wiry stems above it.
Once rooted, the plant spreads on its own by a creeping rhizome, the leaflets knitting into a continuous low cover. It is untouched by deer and rabbits, and the thin foliage takes the dry shade beneath established trees in stride. Give it a season or two to thicken and the mat fills in and persists for decades.
Care
The short version: barrenwort wants part to full shade in loose, acidic, organically rich soil, steady water while the roots take hold, and a split of the clumps every few years to keep the leafy mat dense.
Light
Barrenwort holds its best color in part to full shade, the dappled light under trees and on the north side of a wall. A touch of morning sun is fine, but hot afternoon sun browns and crisps the thin leaf edges, especially where the soil is dry.
Water
While the roots take hold the soil stays evenly moist, watered every 7 to 14 days as the top half dries. Once the rhizomes are established they bank enough moisture to carry the leaflets through dry shade and short droughts, though sunnier northern sites want a little more summer water.
Soil
The roots run best through loose, well-drained, organically rich loam on the acidic side, at a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. Heavy wet ground and alkaline soil set it back, so compost or leaf mold is dug in before planting to keep the soil crumbly and open.
Temperature
This cold-hardy perennial takes roughly -20°F to 86°F (-29°C to 30°C). No winter protection is needed across its range; the plant either dies back to the rhizome or clings to weathered, tinted leaves through the cold.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity suits it, with no figure to chase. Steady soil moisture at the roots keeps the thin leaflets plump far more than any dampness in the air.
Feeding
A light spring feed as the new leaflets push up keeps the color strong, whether a balanced fertilizer or a top-dressing of compost or organic matter. It is a modest feeder, so once a season is plenty.
Pruning
The old, weathered foliage is cut to the ground in late winter, just before the new growth uncoils, so the spring flowers stand clear on bare wiry stems. Beyond that single yearly shearing it needs no pruning.
Repotting
In the ground the crowns are lifted and divided every 3 to 4 years in early spring or fall to keep the mat dense. Thinner flowering, weaker leaflets, and a congested, crowded center are the signs the clump has knotted up.
Size & spacing
Plants reach about 10 to 18 inches (25 to 46 cm) tall and spread 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) wide. Set a foot or two apart, the leaflets slowly close the gaps into one continuous low mat.
When to plant
Barrenwort is hardy and slow to fault, so timing is forgiving. New plants go into cool, moist soil in spring or fall, and the small spurred flowers open from April into June before the heart-shaped leaflets fill the rest of the year.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring or fall
- Harvest: April to June (spring)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Barrenwort stays remarkably clean, and what little goes wrong shows on the thin leaflets first. A few pests and the odd virus account for nearly all of it. Match the marks on the leaves below, then act before they spread.
Leaves stained with mottling, streaks, and twists
When the green of a leaf breaks into patchy yellow-green stippling and the blade buckles out of its clean heart shape, the cause is mosaic virus, ferried plant to plant by aphids. No cure exists, so the worst-marked clumps are dug out and binned rather than composted. Aphids clustered on the soft new growth need clearing, and divisions are taken only from leaves that stay an even, unbroken green.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely infected plants since there is no cure for the virus
- Control aphid vectors to limit spread
- Avoid propagating from infected plants
Ragged holes torn through the leaf blades
Round holes punched through the blades and frayed edges, with glistening slime trails crossing them, are the mark of slugs that rasp the tissue after dark, while vine weevils bite their own crisp, half-moon notches into the leaf margins. The slugs are lifted off by hand in the evening, and a ring of bait or a barrier closes the gap around each clump. Damp leaf litter is their daytime cover, so it is raked clear.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs in the evening
- Use slug baits or barriers around clumps
- Remove debris that shelters pests
Brown, brittle scorch along the leaf edges
When the leaf rims dry to a brittle brown and curl inward, that is leaf scorch from hot afternoon sun, and parched soil burns the edges deeper. Leaflets grown in true shade keep their smooth, even green right out to the tip. A scorched clump is shifted into dappled or full shade, watered more freely in bright spots, and ringed with mulch to keep the soil damp at the roots.
Fix:
- Move or site plants in part to full shade
- Provide additional summer water in sunnier locations
- Mulch to conserve soil moisture
Toxicity
For homes with pets and small children, barrenwort is not poisonous. Nothing in the leaflets, stems, or rhizome harms cats, dogs, horses, or livestock, and the tender young leaves are even eaten as a cooked green. It can go anywhere without concern over a curious nibble.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Barrenwort is safe for cats. A cat that mouths a leaflet takes in no toxin, since the plant holds nothing that troubles them.
Dogs None
A dog can chew a stem or dig at the crown with nothing to worry about, as no part of the plant is poisonous to them.
Horses None
The thin, heart-shaped foliage is not toxic to horses. A grazing mouthful of leaves does no harm.
Rabbits None
Rabbits tend to nose past the leathery leaflets and leave them be. The plant is rabbit-resistant and non-toxic, so a stray bite does no harm.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep that crop the foliage face no poisoning from barrenwort, which carries no compound that upsets them.
Birds None
Birds that peck at the leaflets or forage among the wiry stems are in no danger from the plant.
People None
People are safe handling it, and the tender young leaves are eaten as a cooked green after soaking and boiling. It stays an ornamental unless the preparation is known.
No special handling precautions needed for a non-toxic ornamental groundcover.
Varieties
Hundreds of barrenwort selections exist, bred for the color of the small spurred flowers and the form of the leaflets. A few turn up again and again in shade gardens and are worth knowing by name.
Epimedium × rubrum
The red barrenwort lifts crimson and pale-yellow bicolor flowers above young spring leaflets that unfurl washed in red.
Epimedium × youngianum Niveum
This snowy barrenwort keeps a low, compact mound and opens flowers of pure, clean white.
Epimedium × versicolor Sulphureum
A vigorous spreader hung with soft sulphur-yellow flowers, its leaves often stay on the stems through mild winters.
Amber Queen
Amber Queen carries amber-yellow flowers tipped with long spurs on tall stems over a drawn-out season.
Companions
Plant near
Hosta: Shares the same part-to-full-shade, moist, organically rich woodland conditions and contrasts in foliage texture.
Ferns: Thrives in the same shaded, humus-rich sites and complements the delicate barrenwort foliage.
Hellebore: Another shade-loving, deer-resistant perennial that pairs well in woodland borders with similar care needs.
How to propagate
Barrenwort multiplies by splitting the creeping rhizome of an established clump. The crown is lifted, cut apart, and replanted, and one knot of roots becomes several plants.
DivisionEasy
Early spring or fall · One to two growing seasons
Division splits the creeping rhizome into new plants the simple way. A mature clump is lifted in early spring or fall, the knotted rhizomes sliced into sections that each hold pale roots and plump buds, and the pieces pressed straight back into the soil. The split is repeated every 3 to 4 years to keep the parent dense, and each new section takes one to two growing seasons to root in and throw its first free flush of flowers.
Myths
Barrenwort is poisonous to cats and dogs.
The ASPCA does not list barrenwort among its toxic plants, and trusted horticultural sources find no toxicity in the leaves or stems at all. It is a deer- and rabbit-resistant shade groundcover, and its tender young leaves are even eaten as a cooked green. Barrenwort is safe to grow around pets and children.