Common Name:

Plant Type:
Evergreen perennial
Family:
Saxifragaceae (The Saxifrage Family)
Geographic Origin:
Russia and the Caucasus
California Native?:
No

Plant Size:
6-10 inches high
Landscape/Garden Uses:
shade gardens
Flowering Season:
Spring

Flower Color:
Purplish red
Exposure:
Sun or light shade
Soils:
Most soils

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 0 degrees F. or less

Useful and attractive in such difficult situations as dry shade, bergenias form dense colonies by means of short, thick rhizomes. Each shoot is a rosette of broadly oval, fleshy, stalked 6-10 inch shiny leaves with conspicuous veining, heavily tinged with red during the cooler months. Most are spring blooming, and some produce a second wave in summer and fall. The fleshy flower stalks rise to 12-18 inches, displaying many large 5-petalled blossoms in open clusters. 'Rotblum' is notable for its stems of bright magenta-red flowers. Sun or shade near the coast, part shade inland, most soils, moderate to (if shaded) occasional watering.