Pond plants, shade or sun, early or late blooming, add interest to our ponds and bog gardens. The umbrella plant Darmera peltata is one of the earliest bloomers in the cooler climates. The plant will not survive in the heat of the sub tropics or tropics, so you Midwesterners have the jump on us Southerners with this plant.

In some parts of the country, the umbrella plant, also called Indian rhubarb, makes beautiful purple globes long before other flowers are blooming. It's called Darmera peltata in Latin and is normally found along the West Coast of the United States. In the northern parts, I have seen this plant in the rain forest of the Hoh River in Olympic National Park and in the Botanical Gardens in Portland, Oregon, but never where I live in New Orleans, Louisiana. That is our loss because its broadleaf beauty is an asset to the water garden.

Characteristics of this plant are as follows:

• Zone: 5 to 7
• Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
• Family: Saxifragaceae
• Native Range: Northwestern California to southwestern Oregon
• Height: 3 to 5 feet
• Spread: 3 to 5 feet
• Bloom Time: April Bloom
• Bloom Color: Pink to white
• Sun: Part shade to full shade
• Water: Medium to wet
• Maintenance: Low

The umbrella plant can be grown as a bog plant as well. Put your umbrella plant in an area of your garden where the soil is soggy because it is only happy with wet feet.