Often referred to as elephant's ears due to the large oval and leathery leaves, bergenia are making a garden comeback as new varieties become available, as they are a really useful garden plant, being tolerant of a wide range of soils and conditions and pretty low maintenance. They'll grow in dry or clay soils, sun or shade, are evergreen and flower prettily in spring, so why wouldn't they be popular? 'Abendglut' is a variety which has striking magenta flowers in spring over strong dark green foliage tinged with crimson maroon, which becomes the dominant colour in winter. Use for edging borders, or as a foiul for daitier foliage plants, or simply as ground cover under the shady canopy of an old established tree. Grows up to 30cm high and 60cm across in time.