Bergenia x schmidtii

About this cultivar:

Bergenia x schmidtii is a rhizomatous evergreen perennial with leathery, oval, bluntly toothed, bright green leaves and short, reddish stems bearing clusters of clear pink flowers. Low growing, quite untidy, and early flowering this can be a love/hate type of plant. Unlike most commercial Bergenia the summer/autumn foliage is, well, meh.

A cross between Bergenia ciliata and Bergenia crassifolia this has probably been the most widely grown Bergenia since it was introduced in 1875 by Carl Schmidt of Vivaio Haage & Schmidt in Essen, germany. So there is enough love of that easy to grow ground-cover and early flowering habit out there! What camp are you in?

• Position: Full sun, Partial shade
• Soil: Almost any soil - grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Flowers: March, April, May,
• Other features: Interesting Foliage or Fruit, Great Ground Cover
• Hardiness: H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Habit: Clump forming, mat forming
• Foliage: Evergreen
• Height: 30 - 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft)
• Spread: 30 - 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft)
• Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
• Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
• Colour: Pink, red, green
• Goes well with: Try Galanthus, Crocus tommasinianus and some woodland Anemones. At Ballyrobert we also like them in large groups, like ground cover.

About this genus:

Bergenia are clump forming herbaceous perennials that are quite common in cooler climates where they are renowned for their tropical appearance even though they don't like heat! The common names for Bergenia are pigsqueak (due to the sound produced when two leaves are rubbed together) and elephant's ears (due to the shape of the leaves).The creator of the more sober-sounding taxonomic genus name, Conrad Moench, honoured the German botanist and physician Karl August von Bergen by coining the name Bergenia in 1794.

Bergenia are valuable in the garden for many reasons. They produce attractive pink, purple or white flowers that attract many insects. Flowering occurs primarily in April, but some Bergenia will often give you a second flush later in the growing season. Bergenia also have bold, richly coloured, shapely, leathery, glossy, clumps of large, shiny, usually evergreen leaves. In the later half of the year, the leaves take on attractive tones of maroon, crimson, bronze, purple and even beetroot red.

Bergenia likes most soils that are not too dry. They prefer sun but can also grow in shady areas. If leaves are looking untidy or brown simply pluck them off to allow new ones to grow. Bergenia will slowly spread via rhizomes.

Good companions tend to be early bulbs. Try Galanthus, Crocus tommasinianus and some woodland Anemones. At Ballyrobert we also like them in large groups, like ground cover.