The Lenten rose--helleborus (also known as Christmas rose)--is one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow. It has the ability to bloom in the colder months of the year when other plants are sleeping, making it the star of any late winter/early spring garden.

This sturdy little evergreen plant originally hails from southern Europe and parts of western Asia. It grows 12-18" high and wide, with shiny, blue-green, leathery leaves and finely-toothed edges. It produces flowers from as early as late fall in warmer regions all the way to late spring in colder climates.

The Lenten rose gets its name from its flowers, that tend to be the most prolific around the period of Lent. Each plant produces many flower stalks that bear a single 2 to 4 inch single or double bloom. Thanks to an increase in hybridizing, the flower colors range from slate grey, near-black, deep purple and plum, through rich red and pinks, to yellow, white and green.

The outer surface of the sepals is often green-tinged, and as the flower ages it usually becomes greener inside and out, with individual flowers often remaining on the plant for a month or more. The inner surface of each sepal may be marked with veins, or dotted or blotched with pink, red or purple. Some even have a "picotee" effect.

Nearly every garden has a spot for hellebores, and the plants will thrive in many different environments. They are excellent for bringing color to garden borders, under deciduous trees, or between other shrubs. They can handle shady locations, but perform best if given morning sun. They are stout little plants and once established, become reasonably drought-tolerant.

Lenten roses like rich, well-draining soil. Treat them just like any acid-loving plant and amend the soil with peat moss or an acid planting mix such as E.B. Stone Rose and Flower Food. Remove any old, tattered foliage each spring after blooming and feed them with an acid fertilizer. Then sit back and wait for them to put on another show of color the next year.

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1. Choose and plant camellias, azaleas and Chinese magnolias
2. Purchase clivia
3. Plant gerberas and gladioli
4. Plant lilies of the valley
5. Plant asparagus from bare-root
6. Prune kiwi vines
7. Cut back fuchsias once they begin to grow
8. In coastal zones: prune begonias, ginger, cannas, asparagus ferns, ivy and pyracantha
9. Deadhead cool-season flowers to keep them blooming
10. Propagate running bamboo in coastal zones
11. Continue to fertilize citrus trees in coastal zones
12. Continue to fertilize epiphyllums
13. Fertilize avocado trees in coastal zones
14. Feed deciduous fruit trees
15. Fertilize roses
16. Fertilize fuchsias
17. Spread manure over the roots of bananas, ginger, cannas, asparagus, and old clumps of geranium
18. Fertilize cineraria to promote blooms
19. Fertilize cane berries as they begin to grow
20. Keep roses and bulbs well-watered
21. Bait cymbidiums and clivia for slugs and snails
22. Control pests on citrus trees, sycamore, ash and alder trees
23. Protect cineraria from leaf miners, aphids, and slugs and snails
24. Mulch young avocado trees