Yellow Barrenwort

Light Needs

Full Shade

(Less Than 2 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-18 Inches

Mature Spread

1 Foot

Growing Zones

4 to 8

Yellow Barrenwort, formally called Epimedium Versicolor Sulphureum, and delightfully nicknamed “Bishop’s Hat”, is a stunning, shade-tolerant perennial that provides attractive, elegant groundcover. These ground-hugging plants, ranging from 10 to 12 inches tall, form beautiful clumps of heart-shaped leaves. Their rich, refined leaves turn from deep-green in the summer, to red-hues in the fall. This beautiful Barrenwort produces floriferous sprays of lemony, star-shaped flowers that bloom in mid to late spring.

Yellow Barrenwort is low-maintenance without sacrificing any ornamental qualities and looks especially stunning when massed as ground cover. The flowers and foliage are both long-lasting in arrangements, and the evergreen foliage is perfect for a winter garden. It's sunny flowers attract pollinators of all kinds. Yellow Barrenwort is deer and rabbit tolerant, and is lauded for its critter and pest-resistance and hardiness. 

Yellow Barrenwort Care

Yellow Barrenwort will survive in dry shade, as it is considered drought tolerant, but thrives in areas with average water, and full to dappled shade. It will not tolerate standing water. It grows best in rich soils, but can also take hold and thrive in drier areas or areas with gravel. 

Your Yellow Barrenwort is hardy, but should be fed yearly with slow-release fertilizer that is low in nitrogen. It is also advised to trim back the previous year’s foliage in early spring before fresh growth begins. Evergreen foliage can be cleaned in late winter. Your Yellow Barrenwort will spread quickly and is considered an aggressive grower. 

Yellow Barrenwort Spacing

When planting your Yellow Barrenwort, do not place the crown of the plant more than half an inch deeper than the surface of the soil. Individual plants should be spaced 12 to 15 inches apart. Yellow Barrenwort can be used as ground cover under trees, or in large rock gardens. They are used as a “spiller” plant, and will grow well in containers.