Bergenia cordifolia
Elephant's ears
Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan
Overview
Bergenia cordifolia is an evergreen perennial forming a clump 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) tall and 18-24 inches (45-60 cm) wide from thick surface rhizomes that creep 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) per year. Leaves are rounded with a heart-shaped base, leathery and glossy, 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) long and 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) wide, with wavy shallow-toothed margins, on stalks 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) long. Foliage holds through winter and turns bronze-red to purple where temperatures fall below 25F (-4C), returning to green in spring. Flowers are bell-shaped, 0.5-0.75 inch (12-20 mm) across, magenta-pink, carried in nodding panicles of 10-20 on fleshy red stems 12-16 inches (30-40 cm) tall from March into April. Cold below 25F (-4C) once buds have risen browns the open flowers. Rhizomes lift above soil level as clumps age, leaving 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) of bare stem carrying leaves only at the tips after 4-5 years. Vine weevil adults notch leaf margins from May, and slugs graze flower stems at ground level in wet springs.
Native Range
Native to the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, northern Mongolia, and eastern Kazakhstan, growing in rocky meadows, on scree, and in open birch and larch woodland at 4,900-8,900 feet (1,500-2,700 m). Snow cover through winter is normal across its range.Suggested Uses
Planted at 18-24 inch (45-60 cm) spacing as ground cover under deciduous trees and shrubs, along shaded path edges, and at the front of north-facing borders. Grows in containers of 3 gallons (11 L) or larger, where the evergreen leaves hold structure through winter. Dense leaf cover suppresses annual weeds within 2-3 seasons of planting, though established clumps lift at the center and expose bare rhizome after 4-5 years.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 1'6"
Width/Spread1'6" - 2'
Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years
Bloom Information
Flowers March into April in zones 6-8 and April into May in zones 3-5, with bloom lasting 4-6 weeks. Individual panicles hold 2-3 weeks. Temperatures below 25F (-4C) after the buds rise brown the open flowers, though buds still held in the crown open later undamaged. A second, lighter flush follows in September and October in roughly one season in three.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Glossy dark green, bronze-red in winterGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 3-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Plants grow across pH 5.5 to 7.5 in clay, loam, and sand, and hold through 3-4 weeks without rain once the rhizomes have spread. Water weekly through the first season and during droughts longer than 4 weeks, when leaf margins brown and curl. Full sun in zones 7-8 scorches leaf edges by August unless soil stays moist, while shade leaving less than 3 hours of direct light cuts flower stems to 2-5 per clump. Vine weevil adults cut notches 0.2 inch (5 mm) wide in leaf margins from May to September, and the larvae feed on rhizomes in containers. Leaves damaged over winter are cut at the base in spring as new growth emerges. Clumps are lifted and divided every 4-5 years, replanting rhizome sections 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long with the growing tip at soil level.Pruning
Winter-damaged and browned leaves are cut at the base in March or April as new foliage expands. Flower stems are cut to the base once the last bells drop in May, which stops seed formation and holds the clump compact. No further cutting is needed, since the plant builds no woody growth.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
early springlate spring
Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 3 gallons