Non-native plants tend to get a bad rap; I’ve certainly bashed a number of them here. But not all non-natives are invasive or otherwise a problem to the environment. Consider many of our favorite spring flowers, for instance tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses. They burst out in bright colors just when our eyes and hearts need them most, and they do it while staying pretty much where we planted them; they don’t take over our yards and gardens.
There’s one other non-native spring bloomer that I’ve come to love: the hellebore. Hellebores are also called “Lenten rose” because they tend to flower around the time of Lent. There is so much to recommend this species and the many hybrids that have been developed. It can take up to five years for a seedling to begin to flower, but it’s well worth the wait.
Hellebores are perennials and are mostly evergreen; they hold their place in the garden. They do best in partial shade; deep shade reduces flowering. And they prefer rich, moist, well-drained soil. Depending upon the species, they grow into mounds about between 9 to18 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide, slowly increasing their spread via underground rhizomes.
The nodding flowers are beautiful and come in a variety of subtle colors, and hellebores can make a lovely border interspersed with brighter daffodils or tulips. The sturdy leaves themselves are interesting, “enough to make them a foundation of the shade garden year-round, even when their flowers are spent.” (https://tinyurl.com/ms5nucjs)
Another excellent feature for our area is that hellebores contain toxic chemicals that make them safe from browsing by deer and other wildlife. A side note here: Daffodils and snowdrops also contain a toxin — a bitter poison called lycorine — that renders them truly deer and rodent proof.
The only downside of hellebores I know of is that because the flowers hang downward on their stalks, it’s hard to see the interior of the blossoms. One solution to this: if your property has some slope, plant them on the higher areas. I’ve found this advice to work well; the hellebores back under the trees are just above our line of sight and we get a perfect view of the flowers.
While I was looking for some of the specifics on these plants, I came across some interesting, if macabre, historical notes. First, while hellebore was used as a remedy for conditions such as gout, paralysis, and insanity, one of the many theories about the death of Alexander the Great is that he was poisoned with hellebore.
Second, the American College of Emergency Physicians tells us that in 585 B.C., the Greek army used massive amounts of crushed hellebore leaves to poison the water supply of the city of Kirrha. As they put it, “chemical warfare was alive and well in the ancient world.” (https://tinyurl.com/4fxtz3zv)
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Pam’s nature-related books for children and families are available on Amazon, at Amazon.com/author/pamelabaxter.
