Bergenia "Tubby Andrews"

Recently there was a post here by Claire about Bergenia "Tubby Andrews":

"Also saw a new Bergenia that is variegated and quite compact,  a zone 4 
rating and named 'Tubby Andrew'....It is a  nationally distributed plant by Proven Winners .... If someone finds 'Tubby Andrew' somewhere around New England, I would like to know.  This plant blooms twice a season and that is a new feature for Bergenia."

I sent the ever-charming Josh Schneider from PW (California) a copy of the post and told him I'd post any comment he wished to make.  Here's his reply:

Diann,

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.  Here is what I think:

Bergenia 'Tubby Andrews' is a plant I found on my travels in the UK in 1997.  It had been all the buzz at Chelsea that spring but was in VERY SHORT SUPPLY. I purchased the plant from Ingrid Millington at Hillview Hardy Plants and sent it to my friend in Germany who has a tissue culture lab that is known for their ability to micro propagate difficult variegated plants.  After several years, they managed to get the plant in the lab and multiply it.  As an irregularly variegated plant, its not always variegated as a young plant, but the variegation seems to show up after the first winter in the ground on about 85% of the plants.  Because of the difficulty in production it is likely to be an expensive plant initially and will likely not be widely available for another year or two.  It is a good and vigorous plant in the garden.  Some of the benefits of this plant include its traditional use as a shade groundcover, but it also does well in full sun or part shade as a container plant.  It blooms well in early spring and in the late summer and fall.  The variegation turns pinkish in the winter and in warmer zones(7-11) it is reliably evergreen.  It is hardy to Zone 4 at least. It can be sourced by garden centers who carry Proven Winners and Proven Selections plants.  Those garden centers can be found by visiting 
www.provenwinners.com and entering your city.  It really is an ace plant that I am sure will be enjoyed in many gardens.

Best regards,

Josh Schneider
Plant Nerd for Proven Winners



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