Dog Days of August

Well, it is August. It has been unusually hot. Many parts of the eastern seaboard have experienced a near month of temperatures of over 90 degrees.

Our hero, the Lenten Rose, continues to march through the summer season as lush green, hardy ground cover.

Let's talk about the Hellebore in terms of the perennial cycle. The hellebore, Orientalis, commonly known as the Lenten Rose, and by far the most popular hellebore, is a perennial. Every year it goes through a full life cycle. It is born anew each year, matures, gives birth to new seed, parents and die. Gardeners know, the ebb and flow of our own human lifetime is encapsulated in the perennial cycle.

In August, the Lenten Rose is just beginning to flow toward the end of its’ yearly journey. In the next few months we will see the telling signs. The broad summer foliage begins to give way to a narrowing leaf and fading color.

(A dry hot summer will tax this process making it all the more painful to watch. Many of my beds here at LentenRose.com rely on rain water only and they are not very happy but these beds are almost a decade old, a testament to the hardy nature of the Lenten Rose.)

So here we are in the dog days of August. A well watered bed of Lenten Roses is still lush and full on. Ground cover maximo. The broad dark green leaves are leathery. The serrated edges are sharp and prickely, guarding the seed that fell back in April. You might say the Lenten Rose is in the parental phase of its’ life, offering a bit of shade and protection to their young.

We ship our Lenten Roses moisten bare root all year ‘round. August is a fine time to transplant. Keep in mind however that this mature foliage will be dying off in the months ahead as new growth follows.

So, that’s it for this month. Enjoy your Lenten Roses and happy gardening.