If you’re looking for a sturdy perennial that will grow in shade or morning sun, look no further than hellebores.
These perennials are tough as nails and rarely need to be divided once they are planted. Mostly disease-free and only occasionally visited by aphids, hellebores are easy to grow and non-demanding. I have several clumps in my garden that were planted many years ago. Other than cutting them back once a year, I don’t do anything special to them, and the big bonus is that they bloom in the fall and winter.
If you don’t have a clue what a hellebore is perhaps the names Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose might sound more familiar. The Christmas Rose and all of the new hybrids start blooming as early as November and continue into the new year. The flowers are mostly white, but newer hybrids are showing shades of pink and some have marbled foliage.
Lenten Roses start blooming around the first of the year and continue into spring with both single and double flowers. They bloom in an array of colors from white to black and everything in between (except maybe blue). They can be picotee, frilled, freckled or just solid colors, and once planted rarely ever need to be divided or transplanted.
For winter interest in the garden or containers, Lenten Roses are unsurpassed for long-lasting blooms and ease of care. Removal of last year’s foliage once a year is all that is required along with, of course, cutting off the blooms once they have finished.
As for conifers, they also make fabulous winter-interest plants. Considering that we live in the Evergreen State it should be no surprise that conifers (plants with needle-like foliage such as pines, firs and junipers) are very well adapted to our climate. I think what gardeners sometimes forget is that conifers come in all sizes and even colors and they can anchor a garden composition together in the dead of winter when all the other vegetation has melted away.
Like hellebores, some conifers are well suited for containers and, when combined with perennials, hardy trailing groundcovers and an evergreen grass for accent, make a very attractive container planting.
Winter gardens do not have to be bare and boring. By combining evergreen perennials, conifers and deciduous plants that have attractive bark or branching patterns we can continue to enjoy our gardens throughout the winter months.
Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.
Upcoming classes
Sunnyside Nursery will host a pair of upcoming classes on winter gardening on Nov. 14. At 10 a.m., Sally Isaiou, of Skagit Gardens, will share her expertise in combining hellebores with other winter-interest plants. At 1 p.m., Trevor Cameron will teach a class on conifers.
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