The Best White, with More Blooms and Greater Vigor
Doesn't every garden deserve a plant named Pigsqueak?
There's no doubt about it: Alan Bloom of the renowned Blooms of Bressingham Nursery in England has grown the most magnificent white Bergenia yet. 'Bressingham White' is an improvement over older varieties in every way, and now the question is whether you want an entire planting of this cultivar (small groupings are an option, but not as bowl-you-over dramatic as a good big spread) or whether you should include repeat-blooming pink 'Herbsblute' in the design. The color of both flower and foliage is bold in this new cultivar, with the pure white blooms emerging from bright red stems (giving the flowers a bi-colored look) in mid- to late spring. Far, far more floriferous than older varieties, this compact 12-to-15-inch-high plant sets buds all over the place, which burst into great clusters of snow-and-fire. The foliage is also impressive, with huge bluish-green leaves arrayed in a cabbage-like rosette from spring until fall, turning burgundy with the serious cold weather and remaining red-toned all winter. (Cut them for indoor arrangements over the holidays; their leathery consistency holds up well.) Just 12 inches wide, 'Bressingham White' packs a lot of color and texture into a small package. This plant is more vigorous than older cultivars as well. Like all Bergenia, it fares best in partial shade, but especially in northern climates you will find it amenable to very light shade or even full sun. It must have good soil drainage, but beyond that it is quite adaptable to adversity, and a little benign neglect never hurt it. Once established, it can tolerate even poor soils and short periods of drought. The only attention it may need is a late-winter trim; though evergreen, its leaves may suffer in severe winter weather, and appreciate a cut before beginning their spring growth. Bergenia gets its common name Pigsqueak from the foliage, which experts can rub between their fingers and produce a sound that imitates a squealing pig! You may have too much fondness for this foliage of this all-star, however, to sacrifice even one leaf to the experiment! Zones 3-10.
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