Cold Climate Gardening » hellebores

Spring, Spring, Where Are You? Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2011

Kathy Purdy — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:49:14 +0000

This slow, cold, cloudy spring is sorely trying my patience. It’s taking forever for anything to bloom. But then, looking over past GBBD posts, it’s really not that far behind other springs. It’s just that last year, spring came earlier than usual. Somehow that became the new normal, just like that. How soon we forget.

The Crocus Bank was robbed of its glory by the erratic weather. The first flush of crocuses were knocked back by several days of snow and lows in the teens, and they were completely gone by the time the later crocuses got going. It is the overlap of many species that usually makes the Crocus Bank so resplendent.

Hepatica nobilis from Seneca Hill Perennials

At least the hepatica is blooming right on schedule. (That’s last year’s photo, because it was too windy to get a good shot this year.) And two hellebores I received as seedlings bloomed for the first time this year:

I didn't know what colors these hellebores would be, but they nicely complement the heuchera foliage

The ‘Josef Lemper’ hellebore that I got last year as a trial plant from Skagit Gardens has been blooming most of the month.

Helleborus niger Josef Lemper

It had buds last fall, which persevered through the winter. It started blooming shortly after the Helleborus niger ‘Thanksgiving Bloom’ finished up in March. Providing the last blooms of fall and the first blooms of mud season, this hellebore species is becoming a favorite of mine. And take a look at the new foliage on this hellebore:

Helleborus x ballardiae HGC Pink Frost

This was also a trial plant from Skagit Gardens.

After reviewing the previous April bloom day posts, I am forced to conclude that spring is more or less on schedule. The early daffodils are blooming.

These heirloom daffodils were growing here when we moved in

I wrote about these heirloom daffodils previously. Siberian squills, glory of the snow, and the last of the snowdrops are all blooming. The Cornelian cherry is in full bud and the ‘Meadowlark’ forsythia is on the verge of blooming, as are many of the corydalis. The peepers are peeping but I have yet to see any coltsfoot. I think what has really been missing from this spring is sunshine. It has been more than usually cloudy, which dampens one’s spirits and makes you think it’s cold even when it’s in the 50s.

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens, and leave a link in Mr. Linky and the comments of May Dreams Gardens.

Hellebore Clean-up: Mud Season

Kathy Purdy — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:40:52 +0000

It was 36F and very lightly snowing. There was no wind, so I called it good enough, bundled up and went out to trim some hellebores–the ones no longer covered with snow. Why trim hellebores? 1) The new foliage and buds look better without the ratty foliage that persevered through the winter. 2) It lets the winter-weary gardener pretend she is gardening when the soil is still frozen and most of the garden is still covered with snow, for pity’s sake. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

These hellebore leaves have endured winter's worst and are on their way out.

Trim each leaf stalk close to the base, being careful not to damage the new growth.

This hellebore will now look its best throughout the upcoming spring.

Heroic Hellebores and Heucheras: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day December 2010

Kathy Purdy — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:36:36 +0000

This past weekend we had a thaw, temps above freezing and enough rain to wash the several inches of snow that had been on the ground. Since then we’ve gotten more snow, but that thaw is how I know that the two hellebores that I reported blooming for November’s GBBD are still blooming.

Three of my winter stalwarts in one photo. In front, Josef Lemper. The blossom peeking in back left is the Thanksgiving bloomer from Seneca Hill Perennials. And the glowing red foliage is Lunar Glow bergenia

Snow is the cold climate gardener’s friend. It got down to 0F earlier last week, and I’m sure the snow cover contributed to the plants looking so well during the thaw.

I think this is the same flower I pictured a month ago, opened wider, and the buds are more swollen.

Look at all the buds on the hellebore from Seneca Hill Perennials, which was merely called ‘Thanksgiving Bloomer.’ It’s only a first year plant for me, so I can just imagine how it will look in a couple of years. But I wonder if those other buds will open under the snow, or will they patiently wait until mud season in March? Or will they just get worn down by successive thaws, freezes, and other winter atrocities? I can’t imagine them looking like much after an open winter.

Dolce Blackcurrant heuchera from Proven Winners looks good almost year round.

Many of the heucheras hold up well all winter long, only to be snuffed out by mud season. I’m not sure if it’s the poor drainage caused by semi-frozen soil, or the alternate freezing and thawing that occurs during that time of year. But I received ‘Dolce Blackcurrant’ as a trial plant back in Fall 2007, and it just keeps getting bigger and better. I really love it.

New November Blooms: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2010

Kathy Purdy — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:09:37 +0000

I have new flowers blooming in November. I’d never thought I’d be able to say that. First up is the hellebore I purchased from Seneca Hill Perennials shortly before it closed for good. It didn’t have much of a name, just Helleborus niger, Thanksgiving Bloom. I thought it was worth a try, even though I knew that owner Ellen Hornig can grow less hardy plants than I can further south, simply because she has phenomenal snow cover. As you can see below, it is blooming, and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.

Thanksgiving bloomer from Seneca Hill Perennials

There is no chance of getting one of your own from Seneca Hill, since it is now closed, but do not despair. This fall I received some hellebores from Skagit Nurseries as trial plants, and two of them are now blooming:

Helleborus niger 'HGC Josef Lemper' from Skagit Gardens

‘Josef Lemper’ is described as hardy to USDA zone 4, blooming from December to February. Of course, around here it may be buried in snow for most of that time. Like the hellebore from Seneca Hill, I have this planted so it can be viewed from the bathroom window–when said window isn’t frosted over. Here’s another one from Skagit Nurseries:

Helleborus x ballardiae 'HGC Pink Frost'

This was just opening when I received it–which may have been late September or early October–and it started out quite pale, almost white, and has gradually deepened in color. Skagit says it will bloom from January to March and is hardy to zone 5. But this is November, not January! Trial plants, starting out their lives in a greenhouse somewhere, taking a rough ride via UPS, and then plopped down in a totally alien climate, often don’t behave as expected their first year. I will keep you updated on when these plants bloom next year. (By the way, Skagit Nurseries is a wholesale grower; you will have to ask your local garden center to stock these for you.)

Normally, I only expect to have a few foliage plants “blooming” for November, along with the occasional Johnny-jump-up. I bought this at Lockwood’s Greenhouses during Buffa10:

Polemonium reptans ‘Touch of Class’

I never dreamed the foliage on this Jacob’s Ladder would be so long lasting. I mean, it got down to 18F (-7C) one night not too long ago, and it’s gotten into the mid-20′s many nights by now.

I also moved the Bergenia ‘Lunar Glow’ so it can be seen from a window, any time the snow is gone and the window isn’t obscured by frost.

Lunar Glow Bergenia becomes more brilliant as the weather gets colder.

I received it as a trial plant a while back, and while it seems to be a slow grower the color in winter is outstanding.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day May 2010

Kathy Purdy — Sun, 16 May 2010 02:24:00 +0000

It always seems like there is nothing blooming in mid-May, but when I really look around, I realize there is a lot blooming but none of it is flashy, like the big yellow sheets of daffodils previous or the three Grandes Dames of June that will soon be here. The blooms of mid-May are modest and humble but well worth a careful look. Click on any photo for more detail.

Centaurea montana Dot Purple, Veronica Waterperry, and an unknown creeping phlox.

Virginia bluebells are finishing, globeflowers are beginning. There are also violas, Delphinium tricorne, marsh marigold, hellebore, and ajuga.

Narcissus poeticus is a family tradition. We have them growing in rows in a field, as my in-laws did at “the old place.” I also planted them to partner with an apple tree, but the apple bloomed early this year.

Poet's narcissus blooming at the base of an apple tree

There are naturally occurring doubles amongst the narcissus.

The lilacs are blooming early this year. This is the common barnyard purple.

The lilacs are blooming early this year. The double white, the earliest, is past its peak. The dark purple, the latest, is just starting. I just realized I haven’t cut any for the house, and they will soon be gone. Their earliness caught me off guard.

Blooming But Not Pictured

Narcissus x medioluteus which I named ‘Irish Laddie’
‘Victor Reiter’ armeria
forget-me-nots
‘Bonfire’ euphorbia
species tulips
Celandine poppy – Stylophorum diphyllum
Trillium grandiflorum
‘Looking Glass’ brunnera
Sweet white violet (Viola blanda) & another white one with flowers & leaves on the same stalks, perhaps Viola canadensis
primrose – yellow flowers on stalks
germander speedwell
the last of the dwarf flowering almond (which usually is just getting started)

Missing

No perennial flax. No seedlings, even. The jack-in-the-pulpits are toast, thanks to a couple of recent freezes. Many of the spring ephemerals bloomed a bit early, so they’re not missing, so much as already done.

Precocious Spring: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2010

Kathy Purdy — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:01:36 +0000

Hepatica nobilis from Seneca Hill Perennials

I took a look at last year’s April bloom day post, and discovered that most of last year’s blooms are already gone. The crocus that were in their glory last April, are completely done with this year. The squills are at the end of their bloom. The Cornelian cherry that was merely in bud this time last spring is also over with, and the forsythia nearly so. The hepatica above is also done blooming, but it was so gorgeous I had to show it to you.

Early Arrivals

These passalong daffodils are blooming ten days earlier than usual

These double bloodroots, now in full bud, normally bloom the last week of April

Corydalis solida 'Blushing Girl', another early bird

All the hellebores are blooming, also early. This is my favorite

Also Blooming

Primulas
Mid-season daffodils (as well as the expected early ones)
hyacinths
glory-of-the-snow
last of the squills
Vinca minor
forsythia, fading and leafing out
grape hyacinths
Johnny-jump-ups (starting)
marsh marigold
Juneberries
the first dandelions

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day May 2009

Kathy Purdy — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:16:04 +0000

Spring has finally arrived at Purdville. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost some of my photo gallery features when I switched to this new design. You can click on each thumbnail for a larger image, but then you have to use your browser’s Back button to get back to the thumbnails.

Also blooming:

Creeping phlox
Narcissus poeticus, ‘Irish Laddie’, and ‘Curly Lace’
Lilacs: light purple, single white, double white
Pulmonaria (lungwort)
white violets
Flowering almond
And, of course, the mystery plant of the previous post

Mud Season Chores: Cleaning up

Kathy Purdy — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:28:47 +0000

I hate to admit it to you Southerners, but when the snow melts, what it invariably reveals is…a mess. I’m not just talking about the dead vegetation that needs to be cut back. There’s human-made messes that ought to be dealt with, too. But let’s talk about the plants first.

Cut back and clear out dead plant material

Only March 11th and this catmint is already poised for growth. Most of the crocuses haven't opened yet.

In autumn, there are some plants that are still looking good when the first snow flies. The gardener hates to cut them back when they are still giving pleasure, especially since there are so many ugly things to be cut back first. Before you know it, it is cold enough that the gardener —this gardener, anyway—realizes that there’s just as much that needs cleaning up inside as outside, and it’s warmer inside. So the chore gets left until spring.

With the exception of the exceptional foliage plants featured in this month’s Bloom Day post, most every plant in the garden is represented by a pile of slimy brown mush when the snow cover finally melts. Some plants get an early start out of the gate in spring, however, and they will look more attractive in their early spring greeness if the brown gook is cleared away.

How do you know which ones are the early ones? Well, that is what your garden notebook is for! Didn’t you make note of which plants put out early growth and write it down so you wouldn’t forget? Let’s pretend you just started your perennial garden last year, so this is your first spring with your new plants. Practice your powers of observation:

Early new spring growth is often a deep redor dusky purple, making it difficult to see. This columbine still needs its dead foliage trimmed back.

The lime green nubbins of Hot Stuff sedum are readily visible against the dark earth. This new growth was actually visible last fall.

After several years’ experience, I now know that if I don’t take the hedge shears to the twiggy remains of the catmint as soon as the snow melts, I will have to snip out each long twig individually at the base in April, or look at an unsightly mix of dead and living stems until well into June. In most cases, leaving the dead stuff there may look ugly, but doesn’t harm the plant. Hellebores are one notable exception. The old leaves can trap moisture, leaving the new growth vulnerable to rot.

I usually wait a little longer before trimming the veronica, because some new growth sprouts from last year's stems. A more ruthless gardener would probably just grab all the stems and make one cut.

Snow removal leaves a mess

I find myself needing to explain things to you Southerners again. When the roads get icy, or only a little bit of snow is anticipated, the highway trucks drive through applying a combination of salt and grit. The salt lowers the freezing point of water and the grit improves traction. When we get significant snow accumulation, the trucks must push (plow) the snow off the road, leaving it piled along the edges of every street. As you might imagine, a lot of that grit mixes with the snow as it is scraped off the road and thrown to the side. When the snow melts, you often find this:

The grit that was used to provide traction last winter shows up on the mud season lawn.

This is also why gravel or any other loose stone is a poor choice for a northern driveway. Eventually it will all be shoveled or plowed off with the snow. I have to confess that raking this stuff out is not a top priority. The grass will grow up through it, and you’ll never know it was there in another month. But in some springs you get all the pruning and trimming done and it’s gorgeous out and since it’s too early to do anything else, well, it’s nice to have this chore to fall back on.

Don’t clean up too much, too soon

It’s tempting to rake away every bit of detritus on the first warm day, but that’s not a good idea. With the loss of snow cover, plants are actually more vulnerable now than when they were buried under the white stuff. We’ve already had a few days in the high 50s and hit 60F once, but this morning at 7am it was 9F. Imagine a plant coaxed out of dormancy being socked with that kind of a temperature drop. I’ve had a lot of plants come through the winter just fine, only to be killed by the vagaries of mud season. Biennials that bring a rosette of leaves through the winter, such as foxgloves, seem to be especially vulnerable. It seems counter-intuitive to cover a plant that made it through the winter just fine, and yet sometimes I wonder if that’s what I should do. Of course, it never occurs to me until after the mercury plummets, and by then it’s too late. And I wonder what kind of material would offer additional protection without trapping too much moisture, encouraging rot. Got any suggestions?

Two things I learned while weeding today

Kathy Purdy — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:20:21 +0000

It is easier to weed grass out of daylilies when the daylilies have gone dormant and the grass has not.

I normally don’t weed my beds in November, because it is too chilly, wet, windy, and perhaps snowy. However, we have been enjoying a string of unseasonably warm days and I was able to take advantage of it today. Weeding grass out of daylily foliage is usually pretty tricky, because the leaves are so similar. But my daylilies have gone dormant, while the various weedy grasses will continue to grow until the ground freezes solid. If we get a good blanket of snow before that happens, those grasses may grow slowly all winter long. So it’s nice to get the upper hand for once. For a little while.

Seedlings!

My favorite purply-plum hellebore has sprouts! This hellebore looks gorgeous when backlit. I can hardly wait to see if these seedlings bloom in the same deep hue.

I started out this mild day trying to be pragmatic. I had it in my head I should drain and store the garden hose, haul all the empty pots and window boxes down to the basement, and (sniff!) take down the hammock for the winter. But it all sounded so boring. Somehow I got my hands in the dirt, and I was a goner. What had I been thinking? I can do all that boring stuff when it’s chilly, wet, windy, and perhaps snowy. (Well, actually, the hammock should come down when it’s dry.) But the opportunity to pull some weeds in mild weather and moist soil, weeds that would be left to spring in a normal year, well, such an opportunity should not be missed. Especially since I find weeding so much more satisfying than draining hoses. (It is fascinating how far grass runners can travel in friable soil.)

I got the original hellebore from Seneca Hill Perennials. Owner Ellen Hornig has stopped offering hellebores in a big way, though she is sure to have something you’ve never grown–or even seen–before. According to her website, she will be accepting orders for spring after November 30. Gardeners, start your engines!

Green and white: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day May 2008

Kathy Purdy — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:15:13 +0000

Variegated bulbous oat grass, sweet white violet, and a bit of ‘White Nancy’ lamium in the lower left corner

Because of the warm April, a lot of the daffodils that were still blooming last year are done for this year. This is the “gap” time between the early blooming spring flowers and the big June extravaganza when all the experts say I should have lots of tulips blooming, but I don’t. I love tulips, but they prefer better draining soil than what I’ve got, and the plentiful rodents like to eat them. Instead, I seem to have a lot of green and white vignettes, such as the one above, and the one below.

The foliage of Brunnera ‘Looking Glass’ looks well with the great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Other white flowers blooming now are Narcissus poeticus and N. ‘Thalia,’ as well as the narcissus I’m calling ‘Irish Laddie’ (all featured in last year’s May bloom day post). My double white lilac (variety unknown) has also started to open. It’s always the earliest.

New and Noteworthy

Creeping phlox and ‘Waterperry’ veronica adorn the Birthday Garden wall, while ‘Curly Lace’ daffodil gazes down on them both.

I just got that dainty ‘Waterperry’ veronica last fall, and had no idea it would complement the creeping phlox I got from a friend many years ago. The ‘Curly Lace’ daffodils are a new introduction from Brent & Becky.

This ‘Victor Reiter’ sea pink (Armeria maritima) also graces the base of the stone wall

Both the veronica and the sea pink are marketed as Plants That Work in Nooks & Crannies. If you have a stone wall like mine or need a little plant to tuck in somewhere, you might want to browse through their website.

Everything else

Johnny-jump-ups (Viola tricolor)
Seneca Hill hellebore, pale yellow with pink flush
plum colored hellebore, also from Seneca Hill Perennials
Rundy’s cherry tree
Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’. A species tulip that grows in the crocus bank.
grape hyacinths
The ‘Looking Glass’ brunnera growing next to the trilliums above has its first blossoms
forget-me-nots
Virginia bluebells
violets
The last bits of Corydalis solida
the first trollius blossom
purple-leaved ajuga