When the holiday wreath has been taken down and the decorations are safely packed away, do you begin to count down the days to spring?
Maybe you long for the return of cheer to your garden. Enter the hellebore, commonly known as the Lenten rose, a colorful surprise that blooms late winter and into May. The plant will stop producing flowers as the temperature rises. It is a hardy perennial, deer-resistant, low-maintenance plant with exquisite 2- to 3-inch flowers and evergreen foliage.
Hellebore is a member of the buttercup family with an interesting history. As you might guess from its name, it has a dark connotation. It is a poisonous plant. The early Greeks used its roots to treat anything from melancholy to worms to deafness.
As recently as the 20th century, it was written that walking around scattered, powdered hellebore could yield invisibility. Hmmm.
Today, we recognize we should keep pets away from hellebores, and we should wear gloves when handling the plant to avoid skin irritation. Of course, ingesting the root is always verboten.
Hellebores grow in partial shade or sun, depending on the variety, and they thrive in fertile, well-draining soil. The plants have an extensive woody root system that enables them to survive freezing temperatures. These deep roots require a deep hole for planting.
In addition, they require rich soil, mixed with a healthy dose of organic matter to allow for adequate drainage. Like most plants, they do not do well with wet feet.
Be sure not to plant too deeply — the crown should be only slightly buried in the ground. Apply mulch and compost, and provide plenty of water in spring and fall.
Hellebore is especially well-suited for a sloping area or a raised bed for best visibility, as the flowers appear to be nodding.
There are many varieties of color and height. The Christmas rose stands at 9-12 inches with dark foliage and white flowers, while others range from pastels to the Lenten rose, which is dark purple. You will find there are many hybrids.
Be sure to allow distance between the varieties if you don’t want the colors to blend. It is best not to move plants once they are established, as they may not tolerate it. The plants will go dormant in summer. Remove all growth back to the base, remember to compost, and you will be rewarded with year-after-year flowers, even as snow might be covering the ground.
There is another important reason to plant easy to grow hellebores: they provide valuable food for bumblebees at the time of year they might struggle to find nectar-rich plants. And, last-but-not-least, the hellebore is a welcome harbinger of spring.
Elizabeth Farrell is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener volunteer.
February spotted lanternfly update
Even though it’s the middle of winter, continue to scout for spotted lanternfly egg masses. The egg masses will look more like weather-worn cracked putty than smooth freshly-laid masses. Remember to scrape the eggs into a plastic bag containing rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, squash and throw away.
SLF prefer to lay egg masses in protected areas such as the undersides of tree limbs, picnic tables and other outdoor surfaces that are horizontal or angled toward the ground. Interestingly, SLF females prefer to lay eggs near other SLF egg masses, so you will often see SLF egg masses clumped together.
It is important to keep in mind that you will not be able to reach all of the egg masses deposited on a tree; in fact, on average less than 2% of the egg masses laid on a tree are at a reachable distance (0-10 feet) on the tree, leaving 98% of the egg masses above reach. Using ladders or climbing trees to get to the unreachable distance is not recommended. Keep in mind that each egg mass killed can remove up to 50 SLF from next year’s generation, but you are unlikely to get them all. Continued management strategies on nymphs and adults next year, such as tree traps, may be necessary.
If you are using firewood, remember to check for egg masses before bringing the wood into your home. The eggs may hatch due to the warmth, but will quickly die. They cannot bite so they are not harmful to children or pets.
For more information and current up-dates visit:
https://extension.psu.edu/what-should-you-do-with-spotted-lanternfly-egg-masses
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide
Source: Berkshire mont
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