The Christmas Rose is One Deer-Resistant Plant You Should Not Be Without

We call the Christmas rose, also known as the Lenten rose, one of the best deer-resistant plants for your garden. They are the best-known and best-loved of all the hellebores. These hellebores are the perfect plant for those areas in your garden where deer like to munch the night away. The deer steer clear of these plants because they are actually poisonous if eaten. They have a serrated leaf that would be very unpleasant to eat.We have thousands of them and I have never seen one eaten or munched on by a deer or a family pet. They are listed as being poisonous to animals.

Not actually in the rose family at all, but in the Ranunculus order, this perennial is a gift from nature that shows its glory in the dead of winter. They are a native of Southern Europe and grow well throughout the south

We like to call it the “plant it and forget it” plant because it is an evergreen plant that is virtually pest free, drought tolerant, and deer resistant. You absolutely need this plant in your garden as it can solve many of your problems and it reseeds readily which enables you to have knew plants to transplant once they get an inch or two tall and the ground is not frozen. Plant these gems in an area where you can see them easily in the winter because they will bloom for you from December through March (or Lent) and will cheer up the most dreary of days. They are also excellent for early color in shady herbaceous borders and areas between deciduous shrubs and under trees. None of the hellebores mind competition from tree roots. It grows into a wonderful clump about three feet wide and one foot tall and it makes a great ground cover. We love its pure white flowers (which turn to pink later in the season) and the fact that it is an evergreen. Each plant will have lots of flowers in a variety of colors from pure whites, primrose yellows, pure green, and dark midnight purples depending on which type you have.

These hardy perennials are very tolerant of many soil conditions. If you give them a good start, they will grow easily on any soil from chalk to clay. But just like children, they thrive in good growing conditions and some tender loving care. They especially like limy soils with a pH of 7. It’s always good to get your soil tested before you plant anything, but in reality, it’s not always practical. We have never tested the soil where our Hellebores are planted and they seem to love anywhere we put them. I must add that we are gardening enthusiast and we tend to amend our soil with a good amount of humus and other organic material.

Hellebores generally like shady areas, but they can take full sun in the morning during the summer and will appreciate being protected from the hot afternoon sun.

As the book, The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores, authors Graham Rice and Elizabeth Strangman point out that a few species, like H. foetidus, grow in both extremes of habit, woodland fringes in Britain and hot slopes in Spain, while H vesicarius grows in conditions which are parched in summer.

If you enjoy bringing flowers in from your yard for use in home decorating, it’s best to just use the flowers (sepals) in a bowl of water by simply picking half an inch of stem. Otherwise, the stems tend to drop when put in vases. There are some recipes for trying to use the whole stem in a flower vase such as burning, pricking or slitting the stem but these are rarely successful. Nothing can compare to the charm of these flowers in the winter as they float in a beautiful glass vase. Add to the charm by adding a floating candle for an elegant feel.

As far as general care goes, these perennials don’t really require much care at all.

Cutting back some of the dead leaves during the autumn and early winter when the garden is put to bed is all that is needed. You will know they need water when the leaves droop to the ground.

If you need a deer-resistant plant which is also drought tolerant and easy to care for , you definitely need this plant in your garden. Be aware that you may become addicted to this beautiful plant, but it is a fine vice indeed!

Julia is a master gardener as well as a professional floral designer.Married to a professional landscape contractor, they have been gardening in the Mid South for over 27 years. They now enjoy sharing their passion on their popular web site http://www.flowers-plants-gardening-advice.com

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