Epimedium 'Red Maximum'
Epimedium 'Red Maximum'
Epimedium 'Red Maximum'
Epimedium 'Red Maximum'

Epimedium 'Red Maximum'

"Barrenwort"

Epimedium 'Red Maximum'

1 bare root — £7.95

Spring planting season is currently closed 
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Delivery schedule

Orders placed until 29 February 2025
You can expect your order in February/March 2025

Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
You can expect your order in March/April 2025

Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
You can expect your order within 10 business days

Available for (pre)ordering again in December
Free delivery on UK orders over £50
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UK orders over £50
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UK orders under £50
£4.99

Northern Ireland orders under £50
£5.99

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Description

Introduce a little elfin magic to woodland plantings, glades or other shady spots with Epimedium 'Red Maximum'. You wouldn’t think something so pretty and delicate could be so tough, but this award-winning red barrenwort ticks both boxes! It provides fantastic interest through the seasons in difficult shady or semi-shady areas. In early spring, red and bronze flushed leaves with interesting spiny-toothed edges emerge, adding some warm colour. Following that, delicate sprays of wine-red flowers with creamy spurs are borne in profusion on wiry stems, hovering in a fairy-like fashion about the foliage (no surprise Epimedium is also called fairy wings). In summer, thislow-growing, gradually spreading perennial continues to quietly perform its useful groundcover role, before the leaves turn reddish again in autumn, chiming well with the season. It even remains semi-evergreen through winter.

Epimedium 'Red Maximum' provides a great answer to the vexed question of what to plant in shady, problematic, uninteresting areas, such as under trees, or beneath the shade of large shrubs. Once it’s settled in, it will virtually take care of itself, slowly spreading over time to fill the gap with lush foliage. It can add a much-needed  delicate and arty touch to dark corners or narrow, shady borders where most other plants struggle .Although Epimedium 'Red Maximum' is a very resilient plant which tolerates tough conditions, it will need something more gentle to get it started before it heads into challenging conditions. We recommend the bare roots are started in temporary pots and gown on for a few months, until they have formed a stronger root system, before planting into the ground. Once it’s all settled in, Epimedium 'Red Maximum' creates lovely textured groundcover which is effective at supressing weeds. Happy in moist but free-draining soil, it will tolerate dry shade once it’s established, so keep it watered in the first year.

Almost effortless, resilient and low-maintenance as well as very pretty, it’s no wonder this incredibly useful plant has an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

Key features

  • Comes back every year

  • Loved by pollinators

  • Great for shade

  • In peat-free compost

  • Low maintenance

  • RHS Award (AGM)

  • Fully hardy

  • Rodent resistant

Specs & details

  • Botanical name

    Epimedium 'Red Maximum'

  • Flower colour

    Red

  • Plant size

    1

  • Established height

    20-30cm

  • Established spread

    20-30cm

  • Plant spacing

    10 plants per m2

  • Leaf colour

    Green

  • Habit

    Upright
    Spreading

  • Life cycle

    Perennial

  • Hardiness

    Fully hardy

  • Years to establish

    1-2 years

  • Sunlight

    Dappled shade
    Partial shade

  • Position

    Sheltered

  • Suitable for

    Large containers
    Borders
    Ground cover
    Woodland gardens
    Cottage gardens
    Low maintenance gardens

  • Soil acidity

    Any

  • Soil moisture

    Free draining
    Damp

  • Soil type

    Loam
    Sandy
    Multipurpose compost
    Loam-based compost

  • RHS Award (AGM)

    Yes

  • Growing skill

    Easy to grow

  • Scented

    No

  • Pollinator-friendly

    No

  • Mouse resistant

    Yes

  • Rabbit resistant

    Yes

  • Deer resistant

    Yes

  • Toxicity

    No report

Plant calendar

JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSepOctNovDec
  • Planting
  • Flowering

Useful information

    • Soak the Epimedium 'Red Maximum' roots in water for 3-6 hours prior to planting

    • Plant your "Barrenwort" bare roots into temporary pots with a multipurpose compost in spring and grow-on in a sheltered spot outdoors

    • Choose a pot which comfortably fits the bare roots. Some have a noticeable crown which should be just below the soil surface with any top growth exposed. Some varieties are a length of root which should be planted lengthways and shallowly (1-2cm deep).

    • Plant out into borders or permanent containers in late spring or early summer once in full growth. Choose a position in sun or shade depending on the variety.

    Read all planting & care instructions

  • Orders placed until 29 February 2025
    You can expect your order in February/March 2025

    Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
    You can expect your order in March/April 2025

    Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
    You can expect your order within 10 business days

Perennials in 1 minute

The beauty of perennial plants doesn’t just lie in their long-lasting flowers and sturdy, resilient nature, but it’s their sheer determination to keep on coming back stronger every year —in year one they’re good, but in future years they’re even better!

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