IME, bergenia will grow just about anywhere and with any soil that isn't excessively dry. But they also do not tolerate boggy or excessively wet soils either. You are best able to assess your drainage but if hellebores can survive for several years, then the bergenia should be fine.

I've found bergenia to be super-adaptable, they can take full sun to shade, moist or dry soil or anywhere in between other than really, really dry soil. Love the cabbage-like leaves, best foliage effect brought out when paired against delicate foliage.

I stumbled across the cultivar Sunfur a couple years ago, which I believe is B. ciliata -- I absolutely love this one, the foliage is outstanding and eye-catching, its fabulous! It's kind of unsettling that it goes completely bye-bye over winter, unlike other bergenia -- first year I had them I thought they were goners but nope, they popped up in spring without missing a beat. Just something to be aware of, since bergenia is touted as being "evergreen".

Here they are, planted in front of Aralia "Sun King":

I mentioned ciliata because it seems to be most likely to tolerate wet.

Yes, you're right David. I've seen so many things asphyxiate in the heat after a rain (sodden soil). That may be a perfectly good reason why I haven't tried it.

I have never been able to get it to grow on the border here between zone 5 and 6. I suspect I haven't planted it in the right spot. I've seen it growing well in others' gardens. I suspect it was not the right conditions. Perhaps it was the full sun . . . the variety I grew tolerated sun, it was called pig squeak but "full sun" I think does not mean full sun all day long . . . I think that was my issue. It's not hard to grow but it won't thrive if you don't give it some shade. My soil was moist and well drained but when midsummer hit with sun and drying conditions, well the plant suffered . . .

My bergenia is a so-so plant. I think it may have been more attractive if my chickens hadn’t been addicted to scratching at its poor leaves for a season or two. :) It’s evergreen but looks somewhat ratty overwinter. Fairly tough though, and blooms right after the daffodils in my yard. Tolerates a good deal of shade.

if you need a perennial for wet shady areas, astilbe is my #1 recommendation. It absolutely loves those conditions.

This place is too wet for astible chinensis, I tried :)

If it's *that* wet, you need to look into plants that like boggy conditions.

I am...see me asking about bergenia (and it may not work due to summer heat OR wetness). In this spot, ferns are the only thing that truly thrives. I am growing obedient plant and ringed monkeyflower where there's some sun farther out from the wall.

But I need more..and the most difficult is full northern side of house shade with roof runoff.

But Bergenia is not a plant that likes boggy conditions.

Is there any chance of getting gutters? It sounds as if the roof runoff is making the area virtually unusable. Unless you’d like a fern garden, which I would.

How about rain barrels?

Yea, all that water run-off/saturation can't be good for the foundation. At all. So I think addressing that issue should be the priority here. If you have gutters and the area is saturated, check if they are draining properly, are the right size for your roof pitch, etc. Something as simple as a long downspout extension can make a big difference. If you don't have gutters -- you need them. If all that is in order, check to make sure the bed is sloped away from the foundation, and build it up if it's not. If that checks out, you may have other issues (e.g. something buried that's preventing adequate drainage, underground stream, etc).

I live on what was swamp before they built houses on it. Short of lifting the house and putting it on a built up knoll, it is what it is, and nothing I do is going to make much difference. I'm glad for your concern..but...back to plants.

Ah, I see; that makes sense.

Have you considered Rodgersia, diphylleia cymosa, lobelia cardinalis, lobelia siphilitica? Maybe elephant ears if you don't mind dealing with the bulbs?

But really wet shade is tough. I had a hydrangea rot out on me because of a gutter problem -- and they love it moist but couldn't handle it.

FWIW, I can't keep diphylleia cymosa moist enough most years even up here in the north and it fries then goes dormant on me, so it might be worth a try in your situation.

I have self-seeding lobelia cardinalias and silphitica all over. I love them :) But they're not quite good for the deep shade of the wall. They grow up to about a foot of the wall, but then it's too shady.

('ve never grown diphylleia, but maybe I should try it...of course then there's that one week every late summer when it goes Santa Ana dry with winds. Does it go dormant like mayapple for supper? Or is it persistent if moisture is present?

Yes, I've oak leaf hydrangea (only hydrangea I typically grow) rot from too much moisture. I currently have one that seems quite happy (3rd year in ground and getting some size (6 foot and 4 broad..with about 10 or 12 leads).

It's all about finding things that love the wet, and there are a number, though MOST like the sun too...since you see marshes and swamps tend to be unshaded.

IME it won't go dormant if it's moist enough, but that's up here in MI. It would look fantastic paired with ferns -- wouldn't hurt to give it a try, and might be easier to locate where you are (maybe?).

The sad fact that I've never seen it...well, that often means it won't stand up to the southern heat. But I'll do some reading and research. I'd actually been considering mayapples, but they spread so much and then go summer dormant.

It's native to Appalachia, but I don't know enough about that region to know how the climate of the southerly areas of Appalachia compare to Arkansas. I've only seen it for sale at one place up here that's no longer in business -- I went on a mad hunt for it more than a decade ago after I read about it in a magazine and tracked it down to some obscure place I'd never heard of way down some dirt backroads, I couldn't even tell you where that place was other than {points} that way, although I remember the name of the place. LOL! So it's one of my prized plants. Took with me from the other house -- they broke into divisions when I dug them up, so I located them at different places around the property just in case...

I see two or three possible commercial places to acquire (googling). Yes, there's quite a difference between here and those cool humid mountains where ferns and rhodos grow.

I have wet shade next to my house due to gutter overflow and deep shade. Two things work. #1. hosta. #2, I put my plants in pots on top of the ground. We have a rock type of mulch right next to the house. I set the rocks on top of it. Another plant you might try is Jacob's ladder.

Last piece of advice is a downspout that carries the water well away from the house, and then do a rain garden there . . . that's the last component for me to put in place next to my house this year. I also am installing another downspout farther down the gutter line, and a rain barrel for the dry times . . .

I second hosta!

I decided to plant some hardy impatiens (arguta, 'Sichuan Gold', and oxyanthera) there. I think they'll appreciate the location...and though nothing there in winter, still it's summer/fall color.

I noticed while digging, I didn't manage to kill the astilbe chinensis there..it was just late in making an appearance.