Heavenly Hellebores

I raked the leaves collected under the leathery evergreen perennials, and clipped the weatherbeaten crispy foliage and tossed it in with the debris. What remains is a graceful, soft, subtle yet glorious plant, with flowers in mauve, wine, and cream. Sometimes called the lenten rose or christmas rose, it’s official name is hellebore, and it blooms before the forsythia…an early arrival announcing the spring season. This plant thrives in the shade, so carries a humble attitude. This customer has an entire collection, planted along side her garage, with little traffic or attention, relatively unnoticed. I’m writing about it today because they are not seen in many gardens. Seems when the garden centers open in April, perennials that bloom in February are old news and folks are eager to purchase pansies and phlox that shout with vibrancy the arrival of spring. I urge you to seek out a pot or two when you are doing your spring shopping, dress up your shade garden with a fancy “merlot” or “ivory prince”. Give your gardens a piece of heaven.