The most famous bergenias grown in Poland are sercolle, thick-leaved and ciliated bergenia.All of them form thick, creeping rhizomes, which grow fleshy, shiny, long-tailed leaves.Some varieties have a spectacular color in winter.
Bergenia flowers are white, purple or pink and last from March to May. The inflorescence shoots are 20 to 40 cm high. They are thick and fleshy, often blood red, topped with a panicle of cup-shaped or bell-shaped flowers.
Bergenie are plants that are perfect for beginners.They are resistant to drought, weed and air pollution, so they can be grown in urban conditions, in the gardens of busy people. Bergens are not demanding on the quality of the substrate, they are long-lived - they can grow on one position for many years.They prefer semi-shaded places, although they can also adapt to living in shady places.The best are moderately moist, humus soils. It happens that this perennial repeats flowering in autumn.
Bergenia looks interesting both in single and group plantings. It can also grow in containers.In the garden, it can be grown not only in flower beds, but also on flower walls, in rock gardens, under tree crowns.It looks good on the shores of ponds.
Bergenia can be propagated by division (this technique is described below) or by apical cuttings. For this purpose, from April to June, we take cuttings with three leaves from the shoots.The cuttings are rooted in perlite or peat, then after the cuttings have taken root, we plant them in a designated place in the ground.Bergenie can also be propagated from seeds, but unfortunately this method does not guarantee the inheritance of the characteristics of the mother plants.
Ferns are a very good neighborhood for bergenia, incl. dormitories, thin Roberta, sedges and ornamental grasses.Bergens grow quickly under favorable conditions, creating thick green coverings.4 to 7 plants should be planted per square meter. Fresh leaves of bergenia are eagerly used in floristic compositions.
Dividing heart-shaped bergenia
The flowering of heart-shaped bergenia is unfortunately coming to an end.The good news, however, is that plants of above-average size can be dug up, divided and planted in a new position.Thanks to this, we will enrich our collection of plants with a new specimen.
1. We dig up the plant (s) with a shovel or American pitchfork. Carefully tear the rhizomes in your hands and arrange them in groups on the flowerbed.
2. Clean the place for plants of weeds and fluff with a spade.
3. For planting, we choose rhizomes with at least one pair of leaves. Seedlings without leaves bounce with more difficulty. On the other hand, excess leaves make rooting difficult, so large leaves must be removed before planting.It is best to shorten two large leaves by half, thanks to which the plants transpire slower.The distance between bergions should be approx. 30 cm, after planting, press the soil around the plants.
4. At the end, we water it. Bergenia can be covered with fine bark.
