Garden Q&A: Why hasn't my bergenia flowered in 10 years?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions   

Bergenia is an evergreen perennial with rounded leaves and bell-shaped pink, or sometimes white, flowers in springtime. File picture

Question

I have two very healthy bergenias, both with beautiful glossy leaves. Unfortunately, only one of them has flowered in 10 years. What is happening to them?

Answer

Bergenia is a fabulous and tough plant, but its reluctance to flower is usually down to one of three things: light, feeding, or age. They flower best in good light — ideally, some morning or afternoon sun — so if yours are in deep shade, that may be the issue, as the plant is producing only foliage instead of blooms. 

Overfeeding with high-nitrogen fertiliser can have the same effect, producing lush leaves at the expense of flowers. 

Bergenia also benefits from a little stress to trigger flowering, so very rich, comfortable conditions sometimes hold them back. In early spring, give them a feed high in potash (tomato fertiliser works well) to encourage buds, and remove any tatty old leaves to let light reach the crown.

If they’re congested, lifting and dividing in spring can also rejuvenate them.

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