Bergenia 'Bressingham White'
Bergenia 'Bressingham White' ·
Pure white flowers, blushing pink as they age, on stout stems in early spring, over big, round, leathery leaves that turn bronze in winter.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around bergenia 'Bressingham White'
The planner designed this bed around bergenia 'Bressingham White' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why bergenia 'Bressingham White' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bergenia 'Bressingham White' × 3, white
- 2 Leadwort × 13, blue
- 3 Bloody cranesbill × 4, pink
- 4 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 7 Red spider lily × 12, red
- 8 Daffodil × 5, orange
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- In the middle. At 14 in it stands ahead of inkberry 'Gem Box' (2½ ft) without hiding it.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Bold leaf against fine. Inkberry 'Gem Box' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to early May.
- In company. With daffodil in mid April: 2 kinds at once.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans hot (yellow, red and orange) and uses blue and pink for relief, with white to calm things between them. The flowering is at its height from mid September, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bergenia 'Bressingham White' goes in a border
At 14 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
The best white bergenia. The glossy leaves are the real asset: they give a bold full stop at the corner of a bed and look good in every month.
- Bold evergreen edging
- Early spring flowers
- Corners and path ends
What to plant with bergenia 'Bressingham White'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for five weeks, from mid April.
- Snowdrop: flowers first, early March to late March, so the spot is never empty; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about bergenia 'Bressingham White'
Does bergenia 'Bressingham White' need sun or shade?
Bergenia 'Bressingham White' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bergenia 'Bressingham White' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bergenia 'Bressingham White' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bergenia 'Bressingham White' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 20 in (50 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bergenia 'Bressingham White' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
What flowers after bergenia 'Bressingham White'?
Bergenia 'Bressingham White' is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bugleweed: from early May to late May, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does bergenia 'Bressingham White' look like in winter?
Bergenia 'Bressingham White' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Bergenia
- Bergenia Bergenia cordifolia
- Bergenia 'Winter Glow' Bergenia cordifolia 'Winterglut'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 20 in (50 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.