February in my Garden - Helleborus / Autumn Fern
Two
plants stand
out in my
gardens this time of the year and I'd be hard pressed to choose between
them.
They are Helleborus and Dryopteris
erythrosora. Helleborus
(commonly
called "Lenten Rose" or "Christmas Rose") blooms late in January,
or early February in my garden. It continues to bloom through
May.
Well, actually it appears to be blooming, since it's sepals and not
petals that
we are admiring. It stands 24-30 inches tall and forms 18-24 inch
clumps. Each
clump can have up to 50 flowers (although mine aren't that old yet). On
cold
days, the blooms nod their heads down as if to keep warm but when those
wonderful warm sunny days arrive they hold their heads up high
as if to
say
"Here I Am" to
the early insects that will visit and pollinate them.
A bonus of this wonderful plant is the leaves stay green in the winter.
The
leathery leaves are palmately divided into seven to nine finely
serrated
segments. generally does not like to be
moved, however all
three of my plants came from friends and established themselves after a
year of
"settling in". This plant does well in full shade which makes it
especially valuable in a landscape and it can be used as a ground cover
under
trees and shrubs. It is easy to grow once established and is relatively
free of
diseases and pests. The blooms on this plant can vary from snowy white
to green
to dark plums. Some hybrids also have amazing foliage so it is
definitely worth
researching to find out what hybrids work for you. NOTE:
the stems,
roots and leaves of this plant are considered poisonous and may cause
rashes
for people with sensitive skin.
The
other star in my garden beds right now is Dryopteris
erythrosora (commonly
known as "Autumn Fern"). The fronds stay bright green and upright
throughout the winter. It stands about 2 1/2 feet tall and grows
moderately
quickly. Despite its name its peak color season is not fall but spring,
when
its fronds unfurl copper-red to pink eventually fading to bronze-green.
In late
summer, bright-red spore clusters appear on the undersides of
the
fronds. This
plant has little pest or disease problems. It is a great backdrop for
other
woodland plants, and like the Helleborus will
flourish in full shade.
The picture to the left was taken in April. The green
fern behind
the pink fronds of "Autumn Fern" is Ostrich Fern which isn't doing
nearly as well in
my gardens. I often clip fronds
of "Autumn Fern" to include in floral
arrangements. The photo on the right was taken in mid-
January. Both the Helleborus and Dryopteris
erythrosora
are easy to grown
and hardy to Zone 5. Both are happy in woodland environments with soil
rich in
organic matter. They both pair up very well with other woodland plants
and I
feel that they are well worth space in my gardens not just because they
look
good in February, but because they look good all year around.