Bergenia
Bergenia cordifolia · Saxifragaceae
Big, glossy, leathery, rounded leaves that squeak when rubbed and turn burgundy in winter, with clusters of pink flowers on thick stalks in early spring.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around bergenia
The planner designed this bed around bergenia 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bergenia × 3, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 13, blue
- 3 Bloody cranesbill × 4, white
- 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, yellow
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.
- The only pink.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between bloody cranesbill (12 in) in front and inkberry 'Gem Box' (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 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. Inkberry 'Gem Box', fine in leaf, stands next to bold-leaved bergenia, and each shows the other off. Leadwort is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
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 goes in a border
At 16 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 boldest evergreen leaf for the front of a bed, and a firm full stop at the end of a border or the corner of a path. Its winter colour is best in sun and poor soil.
- Bold evergreen edging
- Winter foliage colour
- Contrast with ferns and grasses
What to plant with bergenia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for five weeks, from mid April.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones.
Questions about bergenia
Does bergenia need sun or shade?
Bergenia 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), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). 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 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 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 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 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bergenia 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 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?
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?
Bergenia 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 look like in winter?
Bergenia 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. It is grown for winter foliage colour as well.
More Bergenia
- Bergenia 'Bressingham White' Bergenia 'Bressingham White'
- Bergenia 'Winter Glow' Bergenia cordifolia 'Winterglut'
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
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 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; pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- 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.