Love for the Lenten Rose
Along with crocus and daffodils, perennial hellebore flowers are some of the very first garden blooms of the season. Their buttercup-type flowers delight us during the period of time leading to Easter, called Lent, hence the common name of Lenten Rose.
If you’re new to gardening or you want a really low maintenance plant, then the hellebore is for you! You can pretty much plant it and forget it. Besides some clean up of the old leaves in late winter, you will get years of enjoyment from hellebores with very little care needed.
Hellebore info:
Light: part shade to shade
Size: approximately 12″ x 18″, on average
Growth habit: Upright, spreading
Uses and features: rock/alpine gardens, woodland gardens, cut flowers, deer resistant
Homegrown and ready for your landscape and pots this April:
Blushing Bridesmaid
Double white flowers ranging from 2-2½” with raspberry pink veining and picotee edges.
French Kiss
Single white flowers ranging from 3-3½” with raspberry-pink veining stretching toward petal centers.
Maid of Honor
Light to dark pink coloring and 2-3” double flowers.
New York Knight
Bears 2½-3” single flowers in shades of black that include deep grey-purple, jet black and black-purple.
Romantic Getaway
Bears 3″ single white flowers with a dramatic red patterned center.
Rome in Red
Bears 3-4” single, rich-maroon-to-wine-red flowers.
Bouquet Tip:
Usually we like to cut flowers from the garden for bouquets when they are the most fresh, however it’s best to wait a bit with Lenten Rose. Wait until all of the sepals in the center fall out and a small seed pod begins to form before cutting to put in a vase. Waiting until the hellebores are mature will give you the longest lasting bouquet.
Melanie has been with the family garden center business since 1999, gaining hands-on experience in nearly every aspect–from cashiering and greenhouse production to bookkeeping, perennial buying, marketing, and store management. Now serving as Finance and Marketing Director, she combines her expertise with a passion for growing the business. She and her husband, Russ, have loved seeing how plants, gardening, and beautiful landscapes bring joy to our community.
