Early Bloomers, Here They Come

I was walking around the gardens this morning and snapped a few pictures.

Just as a quick reminder, LentenRose.com is located in the Piedmont of NE Georgia (US) and our perennial cycle for the Lenten Rose begins early and depending on how far north you go, can begin as many as 6 weeks later than ours.  So if your Lenten Roses don't look exactly like mine, don't worry, it's just the difference in their cycles.

One thing I love about this time of year, here on the farm, is how the Lenten Roses stand out among the fallen leaves in the still coolness of winter mornings.  

The initial burst of growth that signifies the beginning of the new perennial cycle of this beautiful hellebore is in full rush.  The cycle began in the root, sending out duplicates of itself in the form of foliage stems.  These stems will become the formidable leaf canopy that shade and protect the baby seeds when they fall from the flowers.  Ahhh the flowers.  The beautiful flowers......and hooray, the early bloomers are here.

I always like to remind those new to the Lenten Rose that from a seedling, Lenten Roses take 4 years to mature before they will flower for the first time.  It takes a few years but then each plant grows for a lifetime.  So if you are a gardener for a lifetime, this beautiful shade perennial, first among all the hellebores, the lovely Lenten Rose, is for you.