Lenten Rose

Description:

Place helleborus in part shade. Hellebores require moist, well-draining, humus-rich soil. Mulch with a 2-inch layer of leaf mold or chipped or shredded bark each fall. The Royal Horticultural Society suggests feeding hellebores once in spring. Use an all-purpose fertilizer for in-ground plants and a high-potassium fertilizer, such as tomato food, for container-grown plants.

Habitat:

The genus is native to much of Europe. Grows very well in shady forested areas. Blooms early spring. Foliage is usually evergreen. Hellebores are widely grown in gardens for decorative purposes, as well as for their purported medicinal abilities and uses in witchcraft. Somewhat deer resistant.

Notes:

Several legends surround the hellebore; in witchcraft it is believed to have ties to summoning demons. Helleborus niger is commonly called the Christmas rose, due to an old legend that it sprouted in the snow from the tears of a young girl who had no gift to give the Christ child in Bethlehem.