From the Garden

According to legend, when Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. Looking at your bleak garden landscape, you probably can’t wait for spring and green foliage. Hellebore or Lenten Rose is a perennial plant that might brighten up your bare garden right now.

Lenten Rose blooms mid-winter into spring, with buds appearing in February and flowering into May. Often these perennials will be seen poking out of snow! The wonderful thing about this plant is that it finishes blooming just as your garden starts to come alive. The rainbow colors of Lenten Roses are rose, green, lavender and white. The flowers, which look like lamp shades, can be a single bowl shape with five petals to double flowers with 20 to 30 petals. The perennial is around 12-to-24 inches high with an 18-to-24 inch spread.

Garden stores have these perennials for planting now. However, the Lenten Rose can be planted anytime, even in the fall, because they keep their foliage all winter. Lenten Roses should be planted with the crown the same height as surrounding soil. It must be watered after planting and fertilized. If planting several Lenten Roses, plant them 18-to-24 inches apart.

Water the plant during dry spells in the summer the first year. Fertilize in the spring after the Lenten Rose is done flowering and again in the fall. Mulch around the plant. They like moist, well-drained soil.

Many varieties will reseed. To prevent reseeding, just snip off the flower stalks after flowering. Dead head when the flowers start to lose their color. In our area, the leaves will become dried and brown in the winter. Old leaves should be removed when new leaves begin to emerge in February or March. Resist the temptation to prune or cut off at the ground because the leaves look dead.

If dividing a Lenten Rose, it should be done after flowering in the spring or in the fall. To divide the plant, dig up the plant and wash off the roots. Cut the Lenten Rose into pieces, with each piece having 2-3 leaves and roots. Replant right away. This perennial will spread and can become an attractive ground cover. After the Lenten Rose is done blooming, the remaining leaves will choke out weeds and reduce the need to mulch. Lenten Rose grows under trees because the plant likes shade, morning sun and afternoon shade.

Lenten Rose is poisonous and must be kept away from pets and small children. Some people have an allergy to the sap in the stems. Wearing gloves serves as a preventive measure. Some varieties are attractive to slugs. This perennial is mostly deer resistant. It will sometimes develop leaf spot in the summer. Treatment is to cut the spotted buds, flowers or leaves. The leaf spot is more likely to develop in the summer after the Lenten Rose has bloomed. Discard diseased plant foliage in the trash not a compost pile. If the plant develops aphids, treat with organic insecticide.

Lenten Rose is an excellent perennial in your garden. As a perennial, it is more costly than some because it is a slow-grower and expensive to propagate. However, once planted in your garden, it will reward you with color when Punxsutawney Phil declares that spring is six more weeks away.

Have a garden question? Contact the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Dauphin County at dauphinmg@psu.edu or call 717-921-8803. Penn State Extension is dedicated to translating scientific research into real-world applications and education. Educational content, such as articles, videos and online courses, can be accessed anytime, anywhere at the Penn State extension website.

Printed with permission from The Sun. You can find the original printing here.