Bergenia 'Bressingham White'

Bergenia 'Bressingham White': Snow-White Bells, Red Stems, Big Leaves

Pure white flowers on reddish stems, rising out of big leathery leaves like a bride who still wears hiking boots. 'Bressingham White' is elegant up top and tough as a snowplow down below. FANCY BUT FUNCTIONAL.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Bergenia 'Bressingham White'
• Common Name: Pigsqueak, Elephant's Ears
• Height: 30–35 cm (12–14 in) in flower
• Spread: 40–50 cm (16–20 in)
• Flowers: Pure white clusters on upright reddish stems, sometimes fading to a pale blush
• Bloom Time: Spring (April to May)
• Foliage: Large, rounded, leathery evergreen leaves, deep green with bronze tones in cold weather
• Features: Evergreen, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: White flowers glow in shade, so use it to brighten a north-facing bed or the front of a woodland border. It makes a sturdy edging along paths and a low groundcover. It copes with clay and some dryness once established, which helps in root-filled spots where many plants sulk.

Companion Plants: Use 'Bressingham White' to edge a moist bed in sun or part shade, with pink spires to follow. Heuchera FYRE WING™ 'Jadeite' adds bright foliage at 15 to 25 cm with white bells in May and June. Persicaria 'Superba' brings soft pink bottlebrushes at 60 to 90 cm from May to July. Digitalis 'Candy Mountain' adds upward-facing rose-pink foxgloves at 90 to 120 cm in June and July. Molinia 'Skyracer' sends airy stems to 180 to 240 cm, turning bronzy gold in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in moist, well-drained soil enriched with compost. Part shade is easiest; in full sun, keep the soil from drying out. Water regularly through the first season. Leave the foliage over winter. In spring, cut away leaves that are brown or ragged, and remove the flower stems after blooming to keep things tidy. Divide every few years in spring or early fall if the clump gets crowded or bare in the centre. Keep an eye out for slugs.

History: This cultivar is linked to the famous Bressingham nursery in Norfolk, England, has been grown for decades and earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Bergenias come from central and eastern Asia, and the genus is named for Karl August von Bergen, an 18th-century German botanist and physician.

Final Thoughts: The evergreen leaves pick up bronze tones in the cold, so the show keeps going after the bees go home. NOBODY GETS LEFT AT THE ALTAR.