Darmera peltata

Darmera peltata or umbrella plant is a slowly spreading, shade-loving, foliage plant that is a great solution for damp soils, river banks or pond edges but also tolerates average garden conditions. The pale pink star-shaped flowers emerge first in spring and somewhat resemble Bergenia, one of its relatives. The flowers are followed by the large umbrella-like foliage. The leaves turn crimson in the autumn. Native to northwestern California to west central Oregon – so close to being a BC native but not quite! However, for native plant fans, umbrella plant is certainly part of our west coast biome and could have pollinator relationships with species of bees and butterflies that do occur in BC. We could call it “native plant adjacent”. Photo courtesy Great Plant Picks.