Epimediums are the latest cult plants, with the prices to prove it. At Plant Delights, most range from $24 to $35, and since Epimedium has yet to make it to Home Depot, you can expect to pay a lot no matter where you purchase them. They are sturdy plants and are great for dry shade, but they are not particularly showy and are unlikely to attract the attention of botanical neophytes.
Obviously "The Giant," Plant Delights' $150 specimen, is a collector's plant. It's a perennial for the gardener who has everything, including a very healthy bank account. Although I personally do not find "The Giant" tempting, I can understand why somebody might. It's what happens when you've been gardening for a while. Rudbeckia "Goldstrum" and Phlox "David" just aren't a challenge anymore. They come back year after year no matter what you do to them. They're pretty, but all your neighbors have them. What's the fun of that?
Five years later, here it is. No big deal, right? The berry extravaganza has yet to materialize, and waiting for it to grow is like watching paint dry. To add insult to injury, no one has asked me what that fascinating plant is - they are too busy complimenting its mundane but traffic-stopping neighbor, my pyracantha "Mohave" ($10 at the Farmer's Market, thank you very much).