Illustration
Barrenwort
Epimedium
Barrenwort blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Barrenwort
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Barrenwort. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Barrenwort
Plant Barrenwort in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Barrenwort get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Barrenwort in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Barrenwort
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Barrenwort about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Barrenwort to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Barrenwort's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- piedmontmastergardeners.orgPiedmont Master Gardenersheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extensionheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Barrenwort
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
One of the few perennials that thrives in true dry shade: the shallow rhizomes hold their own moisture, so it rides out drought and competes with tree roots. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Evergreen or deciduous?
It depends on the species: Asian types drop their leaves, Mediterranean types stay semi-evergreen or evergreen. That decides whether you cut back tatty old foliage before spring bloom. per NC State and Iowa State
Sold as horny goat weed
This is the plant sold as the herbal supplement 'horny goat weed,' used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as a tonic and aphrodisiac. per NIH LiverTox and Molecules
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits reliably leave it alone, so it needs no protection in an unfenced woodland garden. per NC State
Few pests, tough plant
Few serious problems: occasional slugs, vine weevils, or aphid-spread mosaic virus. Otherwise a tough, long-lived, low-maintenance groundcover. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Bronze spring and fall color
Many selections push bronze or reddish new growth in spring and turn bronze to red or burgundy in fall. per Iowa State
What pairs well with Barrenwort
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early summer; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; its white flowers settle the yellow.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; stands well above at 10 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; echoes the yellow.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in late winter and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; stands well above at 6.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Meadow Rue
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Wishbone Flower
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border; purple against yellow, for contrast.
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