Hellebores, Not Hell-a-Boring: Spring's First Bloom
It is just warm enough to work outside in New Jersey. Halleluja, mother nature, bring on the spring. My first task is to tend to the Hellebores (Helleborus spp.). I love these pretty, little early risers. They brush their sleep off to awaken early in the season. True to their moniker Lenten roses, these plants rise around Lent. That means now. So, when I go out to care for my hellebores I remove the dead foliage. Then, amend the soil with a scoop of compost around the base of each plant.
If you aren’t already growing hellebores, I’m going to convince you. Here are the reasons why I love thee:
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Winter salvation. After the dark days of winter, seeing them bloom is a natural upper.
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Ravishing colors. Very Armani, as in slightly off but really interesting. Whites, blacks, purples, pinks—set into bright green foliage.
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Colors for months. These gals are no flash-in-the-pan. Here, on Bird Haven, their blooms stick around till May.
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Shade lovers. Challenging dark areas in your patch? No problem. These plants do not mind. I plant them right beneath a tree’s canopy.
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Not boring. In this family, there are 20 main species and countless hybrids. You can choose the type of petal arrangements: single or double. Zoom in to note the other differences … speckles, delicate lines, contrasting dark-colored margins outlining the petals.
I add a few new ones every year, ordering online from Pine Knot Farm, an expert in Helleborus, based in Virginia. In the Northwest, Northwest Garden Nursery breeds and sells them.
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They are poisonous. Before you consider that bad news, remember, that means uninvited visitors—deer, voles, rabbits, squirrels—avoid them. Just be careful with the invited members of the family. Normally, dogs are deterred by the bitter taste.
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Worry less. They are mostly pest- and disease-free. One caveat: Since they grow in the shade, they can be prone to fungal diseases.
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Stunning cut flowers. This is a more advanced move, because hellebore heads droop. But there’s a trick, and timing is everything when cutting.
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A Christmas rival to the heat-loving poinsettias. Gardeners in the upper-numbered USDA zones can have their poinsettias. The Helleborus niger can bloom around Christmas, even in zone 4. That’s why she’s also known as a Christmas rose.
While I would like to make the reasons an even 10, I’m going to let other hellebores lovers fill in that blank. Why do you love them? What did I forget? Tell me in the comments.
