Bergenia is a perennial plant that is known for its cold hardiness and unusual evergreen leaves. It is sometimes called Elephant's Ears because of its large leaf size, but because of the glossy leaves making a 'squeak' sound when you rub a finger over them. It sounds like a small 'oink', giving them their common name of Pig Squeak!
Considered tough as nails, these garden and planter perennials are easy to grow and bring a shiny coarse texture to any sun to shade garden!
Introducing Bergenia!
The delightful Bergenia displays striking rosettes and clumps of glossy foliage throughout the growing season, even remaining evergreen year-round in mild climates! The broad, thick, sturdy foliage has earned these perennials another common name - Elephant Ears!
Growing and spreading by way of underground rhizomes and the bold foliage politely becomes a great clumping plant and garden filler!
Then the tall slender flowering stems emerge in the very, very early spring and pop up from the center of each rosette. Each plant produces, tall stems that branch at the tops and are full of buds. Each bud opens into large round clusters packed full of ruffled florets in pinks, rosy reds, or violets!
Fragrant and long-lasting, these blooms offer early emerging nectar for pollinators and are lovely in cut flower bouquets!
Originating from Central Asia, and growing beautifully in both cold or warm climates, Pigsqueak foliage develops gorgeous bronzy red to orange fall color plus the added bonus of an occasional autumn rebloom!
Singing The Praises Of Pig Squeak!
- Grows throughout USDA planting zones 3 to 9
- Tough, thick, glossy broad foliage that 'squeaks' when you rub a thumb over them and can sound like a pig's 'oink'.
- Can remain evergreen/semi-evergreen in mild winters
- Very early spring bloom - clusters of pink or purple blossoms
- Fragrant and make great cut flowers
- Must-haves for early emerging pollinators!
- Spreading by underground rhizomes, create slow-forming carpets and groundcover
- Can have fall color in bronzy red to orange in cooler climates
- Sometimes produces a second fall rebloom!
- Handles sun-to-shade
- Widely adaptable to all kinds of soil and moisture conditions
Bergenia Landscape Application
This versatile perennial is a clumping, creeping plant that is excellent when used as groundcover, landscape bed edging, or as facer plants to tidy up and add a special sparkle to older, leggier shrub borders or hedges. Let them gradually fill in between bare areas around shrubs or trees, or even larger perennials without worry they will get into trouble with their neighbors.
Use the classic Bergenia Pig Squeak with its full clumps of bright pink flowers and burgundy-tinged foliage and stems that shine in front-of-the-garden-borders, in shade gardens, and along pathways where it can ramble and spread.
Gorgeous specimens and container thrillers, try the beautiful Winter Glow Bergenia in your sun or shade planter garden where it can show off its rosy-red flowers, dark stems, and red-tinged foliage among other early spring flowering plants like FrostKiss™ Penny's Pink® Lenten Rose, Scarlet Flame Creeping Phlox, and early flowering spring bulbs! The perfect size to use in container gardening, and as planter fillers and glossy greenery, or as thrillers when in bloom!
Fresh and pretty Pink Dragonfly Bergenia has smaller foliage that is equally red-tinged and reddish stems that hold its cheerful pink blossoms high, each boldly facing up for you to enjoy! Mix this pretty perennial with the contrasting silver-speckled foliage of Raspberry Splash Lungwort, the blue-green frosted mats of Firewitch Dianthus, and the cheerful pink carpets of Red Wings Creeping Phlox!
Plant Bergenia in sunny to shady landscapes like:
- Cottage Gardens
- Moist Rock Gardens
- Throughout Pollinator
- Cutting Gardens
- Mixed Perennial Borders
- As a tactile plant in Sensory Gardens
- Along walkways and paths as a shiny foliage edging
Snip a few stems for your bouquets, and leave some for your early-emerging butterflies and bees to enjoy!
Caring For Perennial Pig Squeak
Bergenia is easily grown in average to rocky, well-draining soils. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils but prefers moist, humusy ones. All plants appreciate mulched beds and regular moisture during their initial growing season. But once established, Bergenia just need occasional watering during heat and drought.
Bergenia plants prefer partly shaded environments where they grow best. Highly adaptable to full sun in cooler climates, in part shade in all, but need moist full shade in hottest growing zones.
The plant spreads from rhizomes so should be divided every couple of years. In colder weather, icy winds can harm Bergenia so it would be useful to provide winter protection and a little wind protection, likewise with containerized plants.
It is considered an evergreen in the South and other frost-free winter climates and can remain semi-evergreen in mild winters.
Fall In Love With Pigsqueak!
Nature Hills offers several beautiful varieties of this lovely flowering perennial for you to include in your landscape!
Kids love the cheerful early blooms and the squeaky foliage and you will fall in love with these easy-to-grow and multiply perennials! Bring an old-world plant into the modern garden with Bergenia and Nature Hills Nursery!
Happy Planting!
