NAME: Epimedium x rubrum AKA: Red-flowered epimedium, red barrenwort, bishop’s cap TYPE: Deciduous perennial FAMILY: Berberidaceae, or barberry family — relatives include mahonia, vancouveria, heavenly bamboo, mayapple. VITAL STATS: Spiffy ground-hugger withmred-flushed deciduous leaves and 3/-inch-wide flowers; grows in mounds 8 to 12 inches tall and spreads slowly by rhizomes. NATIVE LAND: A garden hybrid; parents are Epimedium alpinum, originally from southern and central Europe, and E. grandiflorum, a native of Japan. BLOSSOM TIME: Spring to early summer BEST FEATURES: Lovely leaves shaped like lopsided hearts are flecked with bronzy-maroon markings in spring, turn green and leathery in summer, red in autumn; delicate sprays of tiny crimson and pale yellow flowers that resemble a bishop’s hat. LIKES: Partial to full shade — but puts up with sun; moist, well-drained, fertile soil — but tolerates poor, dry soil as long as it’s in a shady spot. SWORN ENEMIES: This tough beauty stands up to most enemies, but mosaic virus could cause problems. PLANT PARTNERS: A shade garden superstar; mingles well with ferns, astilbes, bleeding hearts, Solomon’s seal; great along paths and under shrubs and trees — even shallow-rooted maples. TLC: Plant in spring, spacing 10 inches apart; trim back tattered leaves in early spring so flowers can be appreciated; divide in spring after flowering or in fall. HARDINESS ZONE: 4 to 8