Bergenia Fire and Ice

• Variety: Fire and Ice
• Latin name: Bergenia 'Fire and Ice'
• Type: Herbaceous perennial (evergreen)
• Flower: White, aging to pink
• Foliage: Dark green, turning red-bronze in winter
• Height: 30cm (12in)
• Spread: 30cm (12in)
• Flowering: February–April
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy (H7)
• Pruning: Remove tatty leaves in spring; no other pruning needed
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: Pot-grown plants
• Plant outdoors: Any time the ground is workable
• Delivered: Spring and summer. Collection from Castle Cary also available.

Bergenia 'Fire and Ice' is an evergreen perennial with white flowers that age to pink, appearing from February through April — among the earliest perennials to flower in the year. In winter the large leathery leaves turn deep red-bronze, making it as much a foliage plant as a flowering one.

Bergenia Fire and Ice – Earns Its Place in February

There are not many perennials flowering in February. Bergenia Fire and Ice is one of them. The white flowers open on stout red stems from late winter, often while the ground is still cold, and slowly deepen and warm to a pale pink as the weeks pass — which, presumably, is where the name comes from. The effect is cheerful and welcome at a time of year when cheerful and welcome are in short supply. The foliage is evergreen and substantial — large, leathery, paddle-shaped leaves that are dark green through summer and turn deep red-bronze in winter, providing colour and structure when most of the border has disappeared. Bergenias generally attract the name "elephant's ears," which gives you an idea of the leaf size. Plant a clump of three and you have something that looks properly designed in all twelve months, with minimal intervention from you.

Fire and Ice is tough in the proper sense of the word. It grows in sun or deep shade, on clay or chalk, in dry or damp conditions. It is slug-resistant (the thick, waxy leaves are unappealing to molluscs), largely pest-free, and not troubled by drought once established. The main maintenance task is removing any tatty leaves in spring as the new growth appears. Divide congested clumps every three or four years by splitting with a spade in spring or autumn. Everything else it handles itself.

Companions for Bergenia Fire and Ice

Bergenia's season runs from February to April, which leaves the rest of the year to its foliage — so companions need to earn their place in summer and autumn while the bergenia provides the structural backdrop. Ajuga Catlin's Giant shares the preference for shade and provides blue-purple flower spikes in May and June, its bronze foliage rhyming with the winter colouring of Fire and Ice. Alchemilla erythropoda fills summer admirably with its lime-yellow flowers and water-beading leaves. For later in the season, Anemone Queen Charlotte carries through to October, making a bergenia-anemone combination that provides interest from February to October with minimal intervention.

Why Ashridge?

We use peat-free compost and biological pest controls. Bergenias are almost embarrassingly easy to grow — we're confident in recommending Fire and Ice to any gardener, regardless of the conditions they're working with. The people who grow your plants are the same people who pack your order and answer your questions. Every plant is guaranteed. See the full perennial collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Bergenia Fire and Ice flower?

February through April in most UK gardens — sometimes even in late January in a mild winter, making it one of the very earliest perennials to flower. The white flowers are fully frost-hardy and continue opening through cold spells without damage. This winter-to-spring window is the main reason to grow it.

Is Bergenia Fire and Ice evergreen?

Yes — the large leathery leaves persist year-round, though they are not at their best in late winter after frost. Remove any tatty or discoloured leaves in March as new growth appears. In winter the foliage turns deep red-bronze, which is a feature rather than a problem.

Can Bergenia grow in deep shade?

Yes, reliably. Bergenias are among the most shade-tolerant perennials available and are one of the few flowering plants that thrive under large trees where dry shade defeats most other species. They flower less freely in deep shade than in part shade, but the foliage remains good and the overall effect is worth having.

What is the difference between Bergenia Fire and Ice and Bressingham White?

Both produce white flowers, but Fire and Ice has the additional feature of winter foliage colouring — the leaves turn red-bronze in cold weather. Bressingham White holds the RHS AGM; Fire and Ice does not, though its winter colour makes it more interesting across the year as a foliage plant.

Is bergenia good for wildlife?

Yes — the early flowers, often appearing when little else is out, are a useful nectar source for early bumblebees and other pollinators emerging in late winter and early spring. The dense leaf cover also provides shelter for beneficial ground-dwelling insects and small mammals.