Pink Elf Barrenwort

Are they little bishop’s hats, delicate origami cranes, shrunken flying nuns, or a flock of tiny fairies? This may be what you ask yourself upon seeing Pink Elf Barrenwort’s pastel blooms floating atop its slender green stems. Featuring uniquely shaped florets with fuchsia cups and rosy-pink spurs that bloom in spring, this herbaceous perennial, also known as Epimedium leptorrhizum x Epimedium pubescens, Epimedium 'Pink Elf' PP 17,228, Barrenwort 'Pink Elf', Bishop's Hat, and Fairy Wings, is a superb choice to use in beds, borders, and containers and as ground cover. Growing to heights and spreads of 12 to 15 inches, this ornamental’s heart-shaped, spring leaves that melt into a mélange of copper and bronze in the fall doubles this semi-evergreen plant's interest.

Pink Elf Barrenwort can tolerate a wide variety of climates. While adoring soil moisture, it develops drought tolerance over time. Deer resistant too, this plant’s lovely blooms will still be floating above the ground the morning after local critters have crashed your yard. A vigorous, spreading growth habit makes this plant an excellent choice to use as a groundcover. Easy to grow and low maintenance, Pink Elf Barrenwort offers color and movement to yards, decks, patios, and porches with minimal effort. 

Pink Elf Barrenwort Care

Pink Elf Barrenwort tolerates full to partial shade. Plant it in soil that is moist and well draining in spring or autumn. This perennial prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil with a pH between 6 and 7. A typical perennial, it should receive about an inch of water per week. This hybrid does not tolerate waterlogged soil, so conduct a moisture check prior to watering. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. If the soil lacks nutrients, apply a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer or compost to this perennial before Pink Elf Barrenwort flowers during the spring.

There is no need to spend a lot of time pruning Pink Elf Barrenwort. Remove dead winter foliage during late winter/early spring to expose the emerging blooms and discourage disease. Also, deadhead spent flowers.

Pink Elf Barrenwort Spacing

Pink Elf Barrenwort is an excellent option to use as groundcover and should be spaced about 12 inches apart. Plant alone or with companion plants such as bleeding heart, fern, hosta, and phlox to create attractive borders and beds. If added to containers in a thriller-spiller-filler combination, this perennial makes a superb thriller. In spite of not being regarded as a traditional cut flower, this plant’s flowers and foliage can also be used to create color and movement in unique posies such as wedding bouquets.

Pink Elf Barrenwort Information