Yesterday I went to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge Massachucetts to hear a lecture on Epimediums. I was glad to see  the talk attracted a good crowd.  The presenter was Karen Perkins of Garden Vision Epimediiums a nursery specializing in these wonderful plants.  The program was both informative and inspiring.  Not only did the talk cover many species and hybrids but also Darrell Probst 's (founder of Garden Vision) trips to China to study and collect new species.  Unfortunately, epimediums are used for medicinal purposes in China and are harvested in large quantities.  One of the goals at Garden Vision Epimediums is to act as a repository for these plants in case they are wiped out in the wild.

  I fell in love with epimediums a long time ago but only began to seriously collect them in the past five years. Once established they are one of the easiest plants to grow and combine beautifully with hellebores and spring bulbs. The best place to find epimediums are mail order nurseries such as Garden Vision , Plant Delight Nursery, and Asiatica.