RE: Bergenias - they're great for shady spots.
Oh yeah, great flower, my friend @ctrl-alt-nwo!
The botanical name, Bergenia, was in honor of a German botanist and physician, Karl August von Bergen. The common name of ‘pigsqueak’ is derived from the sound you can make if you rub two of the leaves together! This plant is native to Central Asia, and is related to Mukdenia and Rodgersia
Bergenia enjoys partial shade to full sun in cooler climates – very hot sun can burn them, so they are best shaded in hot areas. They also would benefit from a protective, light winter mulch in very cold areas, and windbreaks (rocks, shrubs, etc) in areas with very cold winter winds. These plants prefer moist, rich humus soil, and can be slow-growing if water is restricted and they get too dry. Bergenia can experience center die-out and can be divided in the spring, after flowering.
This plant is pretty disease and pest resistant, the only pest known to show up are vine weevil adult beetles, who will occasionally eat the edges of leaves, leaving them ‘notched’ around the rims. This doesn’t do any significant damage to the plant, however. You can use commercial or homemade insecticides, or simply pick off and destroy any vine weevils you find on the plant. Bergenia is both deer and rabbit-resistant; they prefer not to eat it.
