Alina...
You will probably want to start with some of the more commonly available hybrids & cultivars that are usually available from a well stocked local nursery. Their gal. sized plants often are priced at about what the online companies charge for a 4" pot, plus shipping.

Many of those listed below are ones that I started with and have had great success with all of them. They are mostly semi-evergreen and are happy in dry shade, with little summer moisture. These are (mostly)Eastern European species/hybrids/cultivars and summer moisture needs are less than the Asian species, which inhabit moist woodlands with much more summer rainfall.
NAME............................FLOWER COLOR
Epimedium x youngianum 'Roseum'.....lavender-pink
" x youngianum 'Niveum'........white
" x rubrum..................red & white
" x cantabrigiense..........light yellow
" x versicolor 'Sulphureum'....yellow
" alpinum 'Rubrum'........rose-red
" x warleyense..............orange-red
" x perralchicum 'Frohnlienten'..yellow
" grandiflorum............pale pink
" grandiflorum 'Lilafee'..lavender-violet
(above 2 are from Japan, Korea)
" pinnatum,ssp. colchicum.....yellow
(very unusual flower with wide petals)

There are many named cultivars of the above. in addition to the one's listed, which recognize different flower colors.
Many of the Epimedium's have very attractive Spring or Fall foliage. Check with your local Library to see if they have or can obtain Prof. William T.Stearns book, "The Genus Epimedium", which describes 30 species and about that many cultivars. Most are pictured.
Here is Darrell Probst's website(below), that has photos of many species and some of the newer cultivars, as well as the old standby's.
Hopefully, other members that are growing Epimedium's (or should be)! will chime in to offer their recommendations and share their experiences.
Fair warning! Some are rather vigorous and you will have many to share/trade in future years.:Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: The Epimedium Page

I have bought a number of Epimediums from Daryl Probst. Among my favorites are E. grandiflorum 'Pierre's Purple' and 'Dark Beauty'.

Epimedium davidii, with regular summer water in soil amended with compost, blooms off and on (more on than off) from Spring to Fall in my mild climate. Blooms are soft yellow - a favorite of mine. It's fine in dry shade too, but responds to a little babying :)

Thanks guys,
The selection is still overwhelming, but at least I have your recommendations now...
RB, I did my homework: I search local library web site for Epimedium books and browsed Darrell Probst's website (not much to browse, unfortunately :-( ) before I posted this question. No books about E. genus in our libraries. Search shows Epileptics-Epiphany-Episcopal Church 8-) Not very helpful... I also found this article by Darrell Probst. Nice pictures and helpful info.
RB, thanks for warning. I do not want to introduce invasive varieties to my garden. I will try to choose clumping ones.

I have one more question: are all grandiflorums deciduous? I am in zone 6/7, MD. I also wonder if davidii will perform similarly in my climate...

Thanks again,
That was very helpful!

Thanks for that book recommendation. My library had it. I LOVE epimediums too. I have had 2 different varieties for years, but I ordered a couple of new ones last summer and I am looking forward to seeing them bloom for the first time next spring.

pm2

I would never consider any species/cultivar of epimedium "invasive". Most are slow growers and expand very gradually, although some - as noted - are more vigorous and robust with a rhizomatous habit. They make great groundcovers, especially for drier, shady conditions, but many overlook them for this purpose for the simple reason most do grow so slowly.

E. grandiflorum is one of those species that depends on climate to retain foliage. In my area, it is considered evergreen, but in colder zones it acts as deciduous. Evergreen or not, all epis will look best if the older foliage is removed in early spring just as the flower buds emerge, much like one does with Helleborus x hybridus. 'Lilafee' and 'Rose Queen' are a couple of selections of grandiflorum I have that I like for especially large and showy flowers. But to be honest, I've never met an epi I didn't like :-)) I have a local grower that specializes in epimediums that I buy from for my nursery. Last season's big hit was Epimedium wushanense 'Caramel' that produced huge, toffee colored flowers held against very narrow, sharply pointed foliage but also came with a huge price tag attched. Unfortunately, many of the more unusual or less common selections tend to be very pricey plants as they are slow/difficult to propagate.

alina....
According to some published reports, any of the Epimedium grandiflorum cultivars should be semi-evergreen in your Zone. At the lower end of their hardiness range in Zone 5, they will likely be deciduous though.
Evergreen is a broadly used term to describe plants that retain their foilage and do not require a dormancy period.
The retained foliage will likely become tattered during the winter and can be removed during spring cleanup, as new foliage emerges.
All of the Epimedium species spread by rhizomes, but some more slowly than others. The one's referred to as mound or clump forms, are the slow spreaders. Location, such as the amount of sunlight and water/nutrients received, can also determine the slze and number of blooms produced.
For best results in your area, 3-5 hours of morning sun, well drained soil, generously ammended with compost, should give them a good start. Water needs should be monitered during the first year, maybe two, to keep the soil somewhat moist. After they become established, they are fairly drought tolerant. They also do well in locations with surface/near surface root competition from trees and shrubs.
Welcome to the wacky world of plant addiction and enjoy the ride! :Rb

Thank you so much! I will bookmark this page for future references. Your advices are really helpful. The tolerance to root competition is especially precious quality to me. I do not hope that they will grow close to the base of my Maples, but maybe on somewhere within a drip line...
RB, your invitation to "the wacky world of plant addiction" is a little late - I have a couple of addictions already :0)I manage to keep my new Hosta hobby under control so far: I buy only inexpensive distinctive varieties. I bought some less common ones when our local nursery had a 50% off sale.
Gardengal, is there a plant you are not expert in??? You helped me with so many different plants! Thanks again!

If you have a couple of minutes... Imagine that you have to start new shady garden from scratch. What FIVE varieties you would choose from this catalog?

Alina, you are much too generous in your praise :-) There are MANY plants that I am not very familiar with, but it does help to be a buyer for a retail nursery as well as a plant geek/collector on my own. And you seem to touch on a lot of my favorites as well, so those I DO know something about.

Ah....Naylor Creek, one of my most favorite places!! Jack and Gary are extraordinary plantsmen and anything you get from them is excellent. A number of my own epis and a whole host of hostas and arisaemas came from Naylor Creek. And they also have a great mail order reputation, although I have the luxury of visiting in person as well as attending a number of the sales and garden shows they participate in :-)) My only regret is that they don't do wholesale, otherwise I'd be offering a lot of their plants at my nursery. Order whatever tickles your fancy - you won't regret it!!

If I was buying plants on line.. well I have to say I prefer to pick my own in person. But here are 4 plants I particularly like

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'
**H. x hybridus Heronswood double ÂMixed PinksÂ
Hosta Blue Angel
Brunnera Looking Glass

Thanks again for your help! I finally compiled my order basing on your and Gary's (owner of the Naylor Creek) advice.

Ah....Naylor Creek, one of my most favorite places!! Jack and Gary are extraordinary plantsmen and anything you get from them is excellent.
Gardengal, I never ordered from them before, but I was blamed in advertising them already :-(

I'm not sure how your post could possibly be construed as advertising, Alina. Both the Terms of Service and the Businesses Using the Forums pages outline what exactly is considered advertising and what you posted does not meet the criteria. Discussions on plant sources - often mail order nurseries - are extremely common on many of the forums and unless one has an ownership or monetary interest in the establishment, discussion of their product and pros/cons is NOT considered advertising. I'd have a hard time imagining too many sourcing or availability questions on something like the Bulb forum without considerable references and referrals to mail order bulb catalogs.

Pay no attention :-)) Too many folks seem to have elected themselves monitors or GW content police and dictate what topics one should or shouldn't discuss and where. As long as the iVillage powers-that-be don't email you directly, you're good to go!

I for one appreciate when someone shares where they have found exceptional plants and great service. I know I always do. So many of us are always looking to add to our collections of... and it's such a help when the recommendations are coming from other gardeners. If by any chance these garden centers and nurseries benefit from these endorsements, in my mind it's a little bit of payback for all the quality plants and great service they offer.

A......

Thanks for supportive words guys...
I agree 100%: I learned about good/bad vendors through the Garden Web myself. I got very upset after I read that comment...
Well, thanks again for your help! My order is on its way
:-) I added several plants recommended in this thread.
Thanks again!
Alina.

You can order directly from Darrell Probst, he carries the widest selection. I have about 10 varieties, none i would consider invasive. He has some great new varieties but they are pricey! Vicki

Tuning in late to this conversation. Epimediums are a wonderful addiction!
I am lucky enough to get varieties from a source where they are merely numbered without names. There are wonderful surprises there. Of course I can't get many as the prices are sky high....
I also like 'Lilafee'.

Also arriving late; I'd tried to stay away because I know I really should join that 12 step program ... epimediums are just the kind of plant that can be a problem for me.

Now that I'm here, though, thanks for the lead on the Naylor Creek site. Their selection of Rodgersia is also absolutely wonderful, and I think that may cause me more grief than the Epis, in the long run.

Some of the hosta photos actually made me laugh - I only *like* hostas, but when you look at that catalog you can clearly see how people go off the deep end breeding and collecting some really strange ones.

Hmmmm, diggingthedirt, epimediums take up far less space than rodgersias. Of course I have both...and hostas, ligularias, and heucheras too. This year I plan on tidying things up...and not purchasing new stuff. Hahahahaha....

Gardenbug, I've been testing a new technique for controlling plant lust and preventing that spotty look that comes from trying too many different kinds of plants; I try not to buy anything I don't already have. This should pan out as some nice sweeps of my favorite plants, several of which you mentioned above. To keep it from being too restrictive I'm allowing myself to try any and all varieties of those plants, if they look appealing. Natch, I've got a half dozen kinds of epimediums, and am collecting more varieties of the others on your list. I'm not going to delve into any more hostas because they look too ... dangerous.

Diggingthedirt.....
If you do not grow any Hostas, Do Not order one, Do Not accept one as a gift, Do Not accept any seed! They are, by far, the most addictive plant I have ever encountered!
About 15 years ago, a friend gave me 3 of her seed crosses, and I was hooked. Several 1000 Hostas(500+ different cultivars) later, I am still buying the darn things!

That is an interesting approach dtd. I will be interested to hear how it works out for you. Actually sounds like it might have the potential of solving your problem for you.

Georgia-rose...Someone sent me hosta seeds last winter and I winter sowed them. I really didn't expect to get germination for some reason. I was so pleasantly surprised to see three little seedlings. Next spring I will find it fascinating to see how they do. I can easily see how it could be addictive. [g]

Tell me, when the seeds germinate, is the color and form of the leaves the same as it will be when they mature, or will they change?

pm2

Oh, I have a few hostas, but I can keep that genie in the bottle, for some reason; not so with asarum, helleborus, allium, ligularia, sedum, and a few other favorites. Some of those do take up a lot of space, so my lawn gets a little smaller every year. It really helps to know that others have the same problem.

pm2, I find that baby hostas don't look the same when they mature. That's OK, it's interesting to see how they change. Of course I only have about 50. ;) They aren't a priority for me. Remember though, they are often late to appear...after late bulbs. Hostas cover the ugly foliage of fading tulips rather nicely.

dtd_
I am interested in your experience with Asarum, as I am also a serious collector. There aren't many of us around and would probably be a dull subject for this forum, but will start a new thread, if you care to share your experiences.
Rb

For those of you who like Asarum, give Asarum lemmonii a try. It's supposedly hardy to Zone 7b, but it's the ONLY one that has done extremely well in my high desert, high altitude cold-night climate. I don't know how it would fare with warmer nights and a longer growing season, but it's become my favorite by virtue of the fact that it has survived and thrived.

GB...thanks for that information. I am actually glad to hear that they change, as the three little seedlings I had last year were all solid green and I was hoping for variegation. I will look forward to seeing how they turn out.

I think I would be fairly safe from hostas in and of themselves becoming an addiction. The winter sowing of hosta seeds might be another matter. lol

For all of the Epimedium collectors, here are a couple of Chinese species to be on the lookout for:

Epimedium borealiguizhouense
Epimedium glandulosopilosum

Nothing particularly noteworthy about them except their tongue-twister names. I suppose if they are ever introduced into commerce, a more simple specific epithet would be chosen. or simply a cultivar name.
Have fun! :Q)
Rb

THANKS, Razorback33--that's JUST what I needed to know: more Epimedium spp. in the pipeline. I strongly advise against Epimediums in the garden, because you can't grow just one. Next thing you know, you are mugging little old ladies to get the cash to score your next Epimedium fix, and there is NO organization that can or will help you with Epimedium addiction. Go to a NarcAnon meeting and talk about how you just have to have this new plant variety or species and they laugh you out of the place.

Okay, I was being silly. Sort of. I have Epimediums in my garden. Every year I buy a few more. I love species with odd names.

Lisa

I would call davidii semi evergreen in my zone 4a garden. Leaves survive the winter into the spring, but look pretty ragged by May and June. I cut them just before new growth starts in spring.