The Lenten roses in our backyard are all a’bloom. Neither, sleet, snow, cold or ice can slow them down. They bloom – like their name says – during Lenten season, which is now. I think they are cool. My wife Nancy is not so sure because they will spread and overtake the carpet on your living floor if you are not careful. They are prolific little plants, but they are not roses. They are Hellebores.
Hellebores form tight clumps of many growing points. Lenten Roses have “babies”, young seedlings that can self-grow. They spread like wildfire. Nancy has dug up and given Lenten Rose “Babies” to numerous friends.
Lenten Roses are hardy plants that can grow well in the shade. They make great ground cover for hard to grow places. Like around trees with protruding roots. Ours have dark-green foliage and light yellow/green and red petals. They are lovely, especially in February when everything else is gray/brown.
They say that Lenten Roses can take a couple years to become established, but ours didn’t. They were doing splendidly within their first year.
As a rule, these Hellebores prefer somewhat alkaline soil. They can take partial to full shade but find their most ideal location in light shade with fertile, well-drained soil with an abundance of organic matter. A sprinkling of lime from time to time helps them develop more quickly but be careful what you ask for. Turn your back, and they are everywhere.
There are two main reasons I like Lenten Roses. First, they bloom when other plants are dormant and second, deer won’t touch them. That’s a hard combination to beat.