Epimedium is a perennial grown for its yellow blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8, shrugs off deer, shrugs off dry spells, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a modest draw for native bees.
Zones
5-8
pH Range
5-7
Sun
Shade
Days to Maturity
---
Score Epimedium on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether epimedium actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score epimedium against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
What Epimedium is
Epimedium grows as a perennial and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms yellow in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Epimedium
Epimedium grows in USDA zones 5 through 8. Epimedium does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
5-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
1 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant epimedium in shade with at least 2 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Epimedium prefers pH 5 to 7 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut epimedium blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — epimedium isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Epimedium offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Where Epimedium thrives
Epimedium is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 5–8·Where Epimedium growsOpen map →
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Epimedium can grow in these states:
See if Epimedium will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether epimedium actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Epimedium in my zone?
Epimedium grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Epimedium?
Epimedium is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Epimedium need?
Epimedium is shade-tolerant — it gets by on as little as 2 hours of direct sun, so it earns a place most vegetables can't use. A north-facing strip or the ground under a leafy canopy is right where it belongs. A Growable Ground report shows which corners of your land stay shaded through the day, turning those dim spots into planting spots.
What soil does Epimedium need?
Epimedium prefers soil pH 5 to 7, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Epimedium attract pollinators?
Yes — epimedium's flowers are a modest nectar source for native bees.
Is Epimedium safe for pets?
Epimedium is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)