About this time every year gardeners start to feel a little blue. The gardens are no where near ready to be working in because the soil is too wet and working in soggy soil isn’t good for the soil or the gardener. Plans have been made to do a few changes but the weather isn’t cooperating and won’t for another month. Plants left in the garden are looking rather sad and withered. No wonder the blues set in.
But a gardener who had a little foresight last spring will know January and February can bring some excitement into the yard. There are plants – and some very special ones – that bloom in the winter.
The “Christmas Rose” (Helleborus niger) isn’t nicknamed that for no reason. (I discussed this palnt in depth last week.) These Hellebores started blooming around December 25 and will continue blooming for months to come. On the rare occasions when we get a little snow in January, I have even found Hellebores with little snow caps on their flowers.
Some Hellebores can get a little fussy and don’t like extremely cold weather, but I find the vast majority of them are good most anywhere in Tillamook County. They like well-drained, organic-rich soil but mine aren’t too particular about that as long as they aren’t in standing water. There are all sorts of varieties and colors, the most popular of which is the Helleborus orientalis or “Lenten Rose.” Some have flowers that hang their little heads and those I have planted along the top of a wall so I can see their sweet faces. Others have more upright flowers and will do well almost everywhere.
Hellebores aren’t crazy about full, direct sun, but instead do well in dappled shade, like under deciduous trees. That means they get more sun this time of year and less in the summer which seems to suit us both just fine. There are single- or double- flowered Hellebores and they come in lots of colors like a pure, pure white, a mottled pink, or dark pink or purple. There is even a lemony-yellow one called ‘Searchlight Wow!’ One of my favorites is a very dark - almost navy – blue/purple. Another favorite is called
Helleborus ‘Hot Flash’ and it has rather thick and spikey leaves and a very pretty flower
that is a variety of shades of pink. I bought that one for the name but it has proven to be a real keeper. This perennial can get rather expensive because they are rarely found for less than $14. But considering the many years of pleasure you will derive from this plant, it is well worth the cost.
As much as I love Hellebores, they aren’t my favorite January/February plant. Instead, that would have to be Sarcacocca rustifolia, commonly called Sweet Box. This is another plant that prefers shade and organic, well-drained soil. It is more of a shrub than a perennial and mine is now about 3 feet high with a 3-4 feet spread. Plant guides say it will slowly grow to five feet high and wide, but I have had mine for about 10 years and it’s still only about 3 feet high. If it gets too tall, I have the option of pruning it in mid-spring when the flowers are done.
Sarcacocca leaves are a very shiny oval-shape with a deep green color. Although this is a four-season, evergreen plant, it shines on in mid-winter when it blooms. The blooms are very small, fringed and white, but oh! That scent! Plant it along a pathway where you will notice the aroma each time you pass by. Sometimes, when I am walking to my car with other thoughts on my mind, I get a whiff of the sarcacocca and I stop in my tracks and take a deep breath. It is a great way to start the day and bring me back to earth at the same time. The fragrance is a cross between a light perfume and that wonderful first scent of spring: hard to explain but wonderful to enjoy. Makes the everyday name of Sweet Box very apt.
The white flowers give way in about mid- to late-February and black fruit form that the birds seem to love. But with the mild summer, fall, and winter we had so far in 2024, my shrub now has the fruit along with the flowers. The birds seem to have left it alone this year, so I am wondering if the fruit will eventually drop and sprout around the mother plant. It will be interesting to see if I can propagate new baby shrubs.
A third, but equally nice, winter plant is the Euphorbia or Spurge. You will see these striking plants in a lot of local gardens starting in early January when they start forming a flower-like spike. This is a relative of the poinsettia and – like the poinsettia – the flower is more of a head of flowers and small. But the leaves are such that they look like flower petals. It makes the plant look like it has green flowers or petals. They can reach about 2 feet in height and will easily spread. But be careful because the stems will “bleed” a kind of sap when they are cut. This can be harmful to the skin if you are sensitive to it, so I always wear long-sleeves, long pants and gloves when I am working around it.
So, when you are wondering what you can add to your garden for some winter interest, remember the word “SHE” – Sarcacocca – Hellebores – Euphorbia – and SHE will mend those winter blues.
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