By Pat Dray
The Garden Spot
Pat Dray
It’s always a thrill to see the early spring bloomers popping up. One of my favorite early spring perennials is the hellebore (Helleborus), commonly known as the Christmas or Lenten rose due to its early bloom. But don’t let the name fool you, it’s not in the rose family – it’s in the same family as anemones and delphiniums.
Enen though they are not native to our area, they are very useful in the woodland or shade garden as long as they get some shelter and winter sun. During the summer months they will need partial shade, so they are ideal for under deciduous trees since these will allow for winter and early spring sun but provide shade in the summer.
Hellebores have glossy green leaves with flowers that are white, pink, purple or yellow. You can grow them from seed, although you typically get a color mix from seed packets. They are low growing and generally between one or two feet tall with about the same spread, making them a nice border plant. If your plants are looking a bit straggly, you can prune them before new growth appears.
Hellebores will self-seed and spread. They can be easily split in the early spring before they bloom. It’s best to dig up the entire plant, rinse off the soil, and divide the crown where you see at least two buds. Plant them with an organic-rich fertilizer, such as compost, and water in.
Another early woodland bloomer is Solomon’s plume (Maianthemum racemosum). It is native to North America and spreads slowly by underground rhizomes, so you will want to manage it over time. It will get to be a bit taller than the hellebores and will also tolerate a bit of full sun in summer. Its white, star-like flowers will attract pollinators. The berries that appear in the fall are also bird favorites. They really need little care to keep blooming and are easily split into multiple plants once established.
Although these early spring bloomers are wonderful to look at, the leaves of the hellebores are toxic to dogs and the berries of the Solomon’s plume are toxic to humans. Most dogs will not eat enough of a hellebore’s leaves due to the bitter taste, but puppies may and can develop vomiting, drooling and lethargy.
One gentle reminder – if you didn’t clean, sharpen and sterilize your tools last fall, now would be the perfect time to do this. You’ll have cleaner cuts when pruning and you won’t spread bacterial and fungal diseases from last year. Please leave the leaf debris on your beds until we are past the danger of frost. Your plants and pollinators will thank you.
Pat Dray is a past president of the Garden Club of Orange and a master gardener.