A hardy african violet on steroids??? Not quite, but when I'm waltzing visitors around the gardens here, I always pose the same question, "Would you like to see a hardy African Violet on steroids?" They invariably bite as we hurriedly stroll over to a shade bed under a 60 foot tall Betula pendula and I gleamingly point to a particular drift of ground hugging plants. Their jaws drop. The comments usually range from "I had no idea that there was a hardy African Violet" to "I've never imagined an African Violet with foliage that huge." Inevitably, they ask if I have any for sale - no matter what it is. What the hell is this plant...... you're probably asking yourself about now. It's Bergenia ciliata, an extremely hardy, early flowering, shade loving, sun tolerant, perennial member of the Saxifrage family. It's native to some very high peaks of the Himalayas, so you know it's going to be hardy just about anywhere. This welcome addition to any flower garden also happens to be very heat tolerant as I've kept several pots of it in a greenhouse that hits triple digits in the Summer heat and the foliage was as firm as if I'd watered them with Viagra. THANKS to my friend Todd Boland at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden for the use of his excellent images of Bergenia ciliata in flower. His were so much better than mine and I didn't want to wait till next Spring to share this plant with you. My image to the right is a 2 year old plant in a gallon pot. I've even experienced leaves LARGER than this in the ground. If you like clouds of pink and white flowers in very early Spring and huge, dramatic, deerproof, rabbittproof, comment enticing, African Violet like foliage the rest of the gardening season, then this plant belongs in your garden. I've just about 1000 of my 2" pots to share with you. Pricing follows for plants shipped in their pots. I usually offer larger quantities at lower prices here, but in order to insure that no one misses out, I've limited the quantity to 7 plants per person. The prices shown below include FREE SHIPPING! 3   for $ 25.00  7   for $ 50.00  Ordering couldn't be easier! Just fill out the order form at https://www.sunfarm.com/orderform.pdf or download and print our order form and send it along with your check to: Internet Order Department Sunshine Farm & Gardens HC 67 Box 539 B Renick WV 24966 USA