This month we take a look at two schools of thought concerning the way you treat your mature Lenten Roses around this time of year. The first way is the Lawn Mower Method. Sometime in October, take a lawnmower and just mow them to the ground! A month later, around now, after a few good rains, nice clean growth will appear and usually plenty of it.
The second method is the do nothing, ala Natural Method. Just do nothing. The new growth morphs up as the old growth lays over and decomposes. The process takes months and months and in fact, never ends. On some plants in the garden, I can still see the decomposing leave & stem from last years turn.
Both schools work. Both schools are good. It just depends on your preferences. The manicured, clean bed look or the seasonal charm, ala natural. We love them both.
And if you can't reach them with a lawn mower........you can trim them by hand.
The beautiful shade perennial, hellebore Orientalis, commonly known as our hero, the Lenten Rose, prized by master gardeners throughout the world, in October, is putting up new growth as it begins the 'foliage phase' of a new perennial cycle. The hardy lush green ground cover of last years growth remains and continues to thrive even as the inevitable perennial clock ticks away at its' time left before laying over leaf and stem to compost, protect and nourish its fallen seeds. Perennial cycles cross fade slowly. The new growth with the old - ever so slowly.
The end of the Lenten Rose perennial cycle is cross fading with the beginning of the Lenten Rose perennial cycle. The stalks of the current foliage are leggy. The leafs are leathery. The serrates are sharp and prickly. The whole plant yells 'seasoned veteran'. The hardy lush green Lenten Rose ground cover we have enjoyed all summer is still standing its' post in our favorite shade perennial garden; and the last thing it will do as it ends its 2010 journey is begin anew. That's what I'm starting to see in September. New growth.
The hellebore Orientalis, commonly known as our hero the Lenten Rose, like all hellebores, begin their perennial cycle with a foliage phase. This is what we're seeing in September. This new growth will mature in the near months ahead and live on through the year to become the same foliage we see now. The second phase of the Lenten Rose perennial cycle (our favorite) is the flowering phase. In a few more months flower stalks and their support foliage will appear and then, we're in the thick of the new years growth.
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.
A summer rain show is always a welcome event for the gardener. The rain softens the soil and everything in the garden gets a nice drink. I do a lot of planting in the summer. We harvest seed in May and plant them in June. I cultivate new beds of Lenten Roses in June, July and August with a combination of seeds, 2 year olds and mature plants. This ensures that the bed get a head start on itself. Remember, the Lenten Rose takes four years to mature into a flowering plant so by planting a combination of different size/age plants we don't have to wait quite as long for the new bed to mature and fill in.
The summer is also the time to pot up any inventory I plan on selling at the end of the year and into the flowering months of next year - Feb/Mar/April - when the Lenten Rose is most popular.
We are always glad to help any new or existing Lenten Rose growers, whether you are a wholesale nursery or a hobbist grower - you are welcome and we can help.
Next month, in July's installment of the Lenten Rose Almanac will cover planting a bed of Lenten Roses.
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