Bergenia heart-shapedis an evergreen perennial, ornamental of leaves and flowers, with extremely low requirements for the site and soil, and high frost resistance. I recommend it to all gardeners looking for perennials with a unique charm, easy to grow and long-lived at the same time. See what the cultivation of heart-shaped bergenia looks like in the garden, are there any varieties of heart-shaped bergenia that are worth having in the flowerbed, and if you like this perennial - what is the propagation of bergenia in amateur conditions. Here's everything you need to know about this interesting perennial!
Bergenia cordifolia - Bergenia cordifolia
Heart-shaped Bergenia - cultivation
Bergenia cordifolia(Bergenia cordifolia), also known as cordifolia, is an evergreen perennial that produces thick, creeping rhizomes. The leaves are large, leathery, shiny, heart-shaped. They are a decoration of Bergenia almost all year round. Dark pinkflowers of heart-shaped bergenia , gathered in large paniculate inflorescences on the shoot tips, appear from April to May. The inflorescence shoots are also interesting because they have an unusual red color. The plant reaches a height of up to 0.5 m.
Good to know!Flowers of heart-shaped bergenia can be cut into bouquets. They are very durable and appreciated by florists.
Growing heart-shaped bergeniais successful in almost any soil and position, although this plant will best grow in a semi-shaded or shady place, on moderately moist humus soil, with a neutral pH.In more sunny locations, it requires more moisture in the substrate. Its growth is less lush in the sun, but it blooms better. My only advice is to avoid very sunny places, where the leaves of the heart-shaped bergenia can sometimes get burned. Providing it with the right conditions,heart-shaped bergenia can survive even several years in one position
It's worth doing!When growing heart-shaped bergenia in spring, remove dried-up leaves after winter, and bergenia will produce a lot of new, nice leaves. It is also worth removing the bleeding inflorescences.
Where to plant heart-shaped bergenia?This plant is recommended for shady flower beds, rock gardens and plantings at the edge of a pond. It can also cover larger areas, planting about 7 plants per 1m².Heart-shaped Bergenia looks great when planted in groups of 15-20I also recommend this perennial for planting balcony pots, in which it also does well.Bergenia looks especially nice in wooden and terracotta pots.
Bergenia heart-shaped in the garden of our forowiczka
Fig. Lilia 0405, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Heart-shaped bergenia looks very nice in the company of ornamental grasses and garden ferns, shrubs such as euonymus or rhododendron, as well as many perennials, such as geranium, brunera large-leaved, funkia, triple leaf, woodland grasshopper and cranberry.
Bergenia heart-shaped - varieties
The varieties of heart bergeniaare not very numerous. However, we can find some interesting plants among them. The most valuable are hybrid varieties, derived from heart-shaped bergenia, differing from the species in the size of the leaves and the colors of the flowers.
Bergenia heart-shaped 'Robusta'- this is a type of heart-shaped bergenia with slightly stronger growth than the species, significantly larger leaves and higher inflorescences. Lilac-pink flowers.
Bergenia heart-shaped 'Purpurea'- intense dark pink flowers
Bergenia heart-shaped 'Silverlight'- forms large leaves and grows vigorously, white flowers become slightly pink as they fade
Interspecies hybrids:
Bergenia 'Dragonfly Angel Kiss'- height up to 30 cm, white flowers with a pink center, blooms a bit earlier, from March to April,
Bergenia 'Lunar Glow'- an unusual variety of bergenia with a creamy-yellow color of leaves that lasts from spring to early summer, and in winter the leaves turn red, blooms very early, sometimes already in February, purple-pink flowers,
Bergenia 'Bressingham White'- White-flowered variety that does well in full sun.
Bergenia heart-shaped - reproduction
Breeding heart bergeniais quite simple. This plant is propagated mainly vegetatively, because the seedlings obtained from seeds do not always retain the characteristics of the mother plant.
The easiest way is in early springdivide the bergenia rhizomesinto 2-5 parts and plant the obtained plants.Rhizomes can also be divided into several centimeters long fragments (minimum 3 cm) and then rooted in boxes filled with a mixture of peat and sand. When they sprout, they can be planted into separate pots.
Anothermethod of propagating heart bergeniais picking apical cuttings in the period from April to June. Cut off a fragment of the shoot with 3 leaves and root it in peat.
