Great Evergreen Spring Groundcovers

Wow! This year the leaves of the  Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis)  didn't  brown out in freezing weather (at least not yet!).  Not only do these little wonders stay evergreen most of the time -- they're one of the very first cheery signs of spring, and ... aside from the prolific blooms, which last for weeks and weeks .. .the best thing about them is that they spread, and spread, and spread.  Even more wondrous, they spread very slowly, so they're easy to control, but within a few years, you'll have a wonderful carpet under nearby trees or shrubs.  These plants will grow in almost any soil, zones 5-9, but don't put them in full sun.  Related to them is the stinking hellebore or Bear's Foot hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) which has lime green flowers and very deep green, fine foliage.  Once the flowers fade, the foliage, which reaches about 18 inches high, is a beautiful and delicate evergreen complement to almost any other texture and color.  Same cultural conditions as the Lenten rose. And I'm not sure why these are sometimes called  stinking hellebore. They have no noticeable  strong odor.

 

Comments

[Robert and Michael]

Our stinking hellebores do have a "peculiar" odor, and I am a long-term heavy smoker (I know very bad) but even I can smell it, so you know it is pungent, at least from our plants. Maybe the colder zone we're in? Soil? Light? Our compost/soil amendments? Ahh, the wonderful mystery of each of our garden conditions!?1?
My partner Michael is very excited as it looks like his efforts for the last five years are going to have some results in the flowers of "his" collection of various hellebores flowering in the next month, please do visit our Garden 2006 webpage to see the results!