This is a page devoted entirely to Bergenia so you can see them and their descriptions all together. Click on any image to be linked straight to the item in our online shop.
- The leaves of this choice species are large- up to 30cm across,well rounded and covered in tiny hairs. It makes a large clump, but considerably less dense than most bergenias. The flowers are pink, held erect and slightly fragrant. Slightly more tender than the more robust species and deserving of a spot with some shelter, especially for the flowers. Foliage will die back somewhat in winter. Leaves colour red in Autumn. Native of Afghanistan and Tibet. Prefers cool moist shade.
Bergenia ciliata
Bergenia ciliata
Bergenia ‘Pink Ice’
Bergenia ‘Pink Ice’ is an early flowering hybrid between B.ciliata and B.emiensis nice, narrow, glossy green leaves, flushed red beneath and on the serrated margins. Like B.emiensis it has beautifully poised, shapely branched trusses of flowers, bell shaped at first becoming flared and wide separated with age. Also in common with B.emiensis its stems and calyxes are beautifully flushed with a pinky orange. The blooms are subtly shaded palest pink at first – just a suggestion of pink on a pure white, but as they age the central flush gradually grows until it is completely suffused rose-pink. A delightful but little known hybrid that required a sheltered position away from the coldest winds. Bred by Robin White.
Bergenia ‘Pink Ice’
Bergenia ‘Pink Ice’
Bergenia emeiensis
Bergenia ‘Baby Doll’
- Handsome evergreen glossy green leaves are overlaid in Autumn onwards with shades of red and copper and can turn bright scarlet on exposed sun drenched leaves. One of the best for reliable winter leaf colour. The flowers are brightest magenta, produced from early to late spring. 30cm. Clumps are fairly compact in growth with flower spike that are also relatively dense. Will even tolerate dry shade
Bergenia ‘Overture’ (‘Eroica’)
Bergenia ‘Overture’ (‘Eroica’)
Bergenia ‘Eric Smith’
Bergenia ‘Rosi Klose’
Bergenia ‘Abendglut’
Bergenia ‘Bach’
Bergenia ‘Silberlicht’
Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’
Bergenia ‘Harzkristal’
They are native of damp rocky woodland and meadows and in cultivation are remarkably easy to grow in either sun or light shade in anything but the most boggy or dry, hot sites.
They are valuable for their bold, glossy leaves that are, in most varieties, evergreen. Frequently they colour spectacularly in Autumn and Winter taking on rich red tones that make them a significant garden feature. In some cultivars and species, notably B. ciliata, B. stracheyi and B. x spathulata, the larger leaves are often lost in colder weather. The lovely twists in the leaves and rich colouring make them excellent candidates for the flower arranger. They make excellent ground cover. They make excellent alternatives to Hosta on drier and windier sites.
The flowers are largely in the white to ruddy pink range, held in dense heads in Spring. B. emiensis and its hybrids have recently brought more open heads of lax flowers into the mix. Flowering is better in plants grown in sites with more light and ample moisture.
Bergenia can be grown very successfully in pots and were once favourite edging plants with Gertrude Jekyll.
Early breeding was undertaken by Mr T.Smith of Newry, using B. cordifolia and . purpurascens. Whilst many of the original cultivars, praised by William Robinson, are now lost, breeding has continued by Arends and Klose and more recently by Eric Smith and Jim Archibald. Bergenias have now been so intensively interbred that few of the modern cultivars are assigned to any particular species.
Named after the German Botanist Karl August von Bergen (1704-60) who made an extensive catalogue of plants from his surrounding area ‘Flora Francofurtana’ Bergenia originate in Eastern Asia.
They were previously known by the name Megasea.
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