Hellebores – Georama’s Plant of the Week
Common Names: Christmas or Lenten Rose
Botanical Name: Helleborus x hybrids
Welcome back to our weekly “Plant of the Week” column. We are soon to begin another season of gardening in the Kootenays and while we are definitely enjoying a fantastic winter, out thoughts are starting to centre on our slowly emerging gardens. What better plant to start with than the Lenten Rose. Though buried deep under the snow, hellebores survive to push flowers up through the last bits of winter’s grasp. Flowers of yellow, purple, red, pink and pure white push their way up when few other plants are flowering in our gardens, these exquisite saucer shaped blooms can remain on the plants for up to three months! Deer-resistant and mostly evergreen, hellebores’ divided leaves rise on sturdy stems and may be serrated along their edges. They do best in shade where the soil remains moist. Once established, hellebores are extremely tough and will make a beautiful 1.5 foot tall clump of dark green foliage, with some varieties exhibiting attractive silver veins – so that the leaves contribute as much colour contrast to your garden as the flowers do. Many hybrids and named varieties are available such as ‘Gold Finch’ , ‘Heronswood Black Purple’ , ‘Mardi Gras’ and so many more. It is a real treat to walk through the garden in late winter or early spring and be greeted by such a variety of colour and even shapes. Plan to incorporate some of these terrific early blooming plants into your landscape – you will be sure to enjoy them for many years to come!
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