The first jonquils of the year are just beginning to pop up, but our Lenten Roses are and have been in full bloom for several weeks. Snow, sleet, frost, cold – it doesn’t matter to these hardy plants. They are the Energizer Bunnies of all our flowers. They are early bloomers, they are beautiful, they flourish in shady areas, and they have earned their rightful place as the most important flowers in our yard.
Though the blooms resemble roses. Lenten Roses are not roses at all but a hybrid plant. They bloom in early spring – at Lent and even before, thus their name.
We like the plants because they do well in the shade, as a border beneath trees m and they are easy to grow. In fact, after a year, you’ll be sharing the plants with others as they will take over a flower bed.
Lenten Roses do best in a well-drained soil and make nice edges for walkways and along steep slopes. They are also drought tolerant, and deer won’t touch them. The flowers blooms range from white to pink to red.
Now is an ideal to plant or transplant, and come next spring, your Lenten Roses will be blooming in February.
