Bergenia anyone?

[caliloo]

I just picked this one up today. The photos on Terra Nova are quite fetching IMHO I hope my little baby lives up to the hype.



Link to Terra Nova:
http://www.terranovanurseries.com/whole ... ge&pid=430

Thanks for looking and anyone growing this one I welcome comments on how it is doing for you.

Alexa

[newtohosta-no more]

Looks nice, Alexa! I do love the thick , shiny, leathery leaves of a Bergenia. I only have one, Begenia "Winterglow". It does okay, but I don't think it's really planted in the ideal spot.

[JaneG]

I have one too! Planted in VERY DRY shade so it struggles. It's smaller this year than it's been in several years. Your post is reminding me to move it to a new location so I can enjoy it more.

[kHT]

We have had one for several years now and it's on the north side of the house. We now have two patches of it as it got huge fast when I started feeding the brug close by. Mental note not to do that again!! I didn't know TN had a variegated one?? Shame on you for posting that.

[DryGulch]

Ah, TN's variegated bergenia is brand new this year!

[irawon]

Hi calliloo! I'm new to Hallson Gardensforums. I have about 11 mature clumps of Bergenia cordifolia (pink) because of their versatility. I have them growing in sun and shade. Information that I gathered about them indicated that they are drought tolerant and so they are. The ones I started in dry shade have survived but are growing slowly and do not flower. The mature clumps in dry sunny conditions flower but not profusely. My take on them is that they love a lot of water and some sun to flower well. I have four mature clumps in my east facing garden and they all flower at different intervals depending on the amount of sunlight they get. I apply lots of bonemeal in the spring and that appears to help as well. Sorry, but I don't have the variegated one. I would think that it would probably enjoy a sunnier location. From my experience, water seems to be the key ingredient.

[viktoria]

Ugh!

I suspect our Canadian friend should have more success with the genus. On a trip to Finland a couple of years ago I saw it used in large quantities as a ground cover and it seemed to grow to mammoth proportions in that climate. Slugs didn't seem to bother it there, either.

Never could abide this plant! The semi-evergreen winter leaves look like raw, sliced pig liver with E. coli.

One exception: Bergenia ciliata, which is not semi-evergreen and pushes up its typical flowers before the leaves emerge. This is a cool plant but less hardy than the others, struggling to survive north of zone 5.

Viktoria

[Angel3K]

ah, i picked one at walmart yesterday, it just say " Bergenia red bloom"!

the leaves remind me of kalanchoe, so i thought it was, but it was bergenia.
Maybe I will plant her, and see what happens.
Knowing they are drought resistant, maybe i can put one in a pot for houseplants. The kalanchoe did well, so this I will try.