Bergenia 'Winter Glow'
Bergenia cordifolia 'Winterglut' · Saxifragaceae
Glossy green leaves turn a rich, glowing red with the first frosts and stay that way all winter, followed by magenta-red flowers in spring.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around bergenia 'Winter Glow'
The planner designed this bed around bergenia 'Winter Glow' 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 'Winter Glow' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bergenia 'Winter Glow' × 3, red
- 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 six weeks. From mid April to mid May.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- 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. Leadwort is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The flowering is at its height from mid September, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 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 'Winter Glow' 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).
Grown for its winter colour, which is strongest in full sun and poor soil. Plant it where the low winter sun shines through the leaves.
- Red winter foliage
- Evergreen edging
- Planting with snowdrops and winter stems
What to plant with bergenia 'Winter Glow'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- 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.
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about bergenia 'Winter Glow'
Does bergenia 'Winter Glow' need sun or shade?
Bergenia 'Winter Glow' 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 is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does bergenia 'Winter Glow' 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 'Winter Glow' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid 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 late May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to early May |
| Zone 8 | Late March to late 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 'Winter Glow' 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 'Winter Glow' 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.
Is bergenia 'Winter Glow' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat bergenia 'Winter Glow'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after bergenia 'Winter Glow'?
Bergenia 'Winter Glow' is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
What does bergenia 'Winter Glow' look like in winter?
Bergenia 'Winter Glow' keeps its green and red leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for red winter foliage and planting with snowdrops and winter stems as well.
More Bergenia
- Bergenia Bergenia cordifolia
- Bergenia 'Bressingham White' Bergenia 'Bressingham White'
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
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 mid May; dense clusters; red, pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; green, red
- 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
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Comes from
- East Asia, Northwest China, Siberia to North Korea
- Stands up to
- Drought, poor soil, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.