Northern Shade Gardening

Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ (Ivory Prince) is a terrific hellebore, with upward facing flowers and distinctive foliage. They look attractive in the garden, from when the snow first melts in spring, until the next winter’s snow covers them up. You couldn’t ask for more from a plant.

Helleborus 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince) pretty buds

The Ivory Prince flowers are very attractive in all stages, from bud to faded bloom. In the above photo you can see the pretty buds, with a delicate pink outside. The buds are large and showy, making a beautiful sight before they even open. When they first appear, shortly after the snow recedes, the flower buds are a deep rose colour, and then the colour lightens as they start to open.

Helleborus 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince) and Chionodoxa

Here is a cluster of flowers that  have just opened, most are still buds. Inside the bracts, they are a creamy colour with green tinges. The complex multi-hues of ‘Walhelivor’ blooms make make them interesting to study. The flowers face upwards and sideways, so it is easy to see them, without having to turn the flowers over, unlike many hellebores. The actual flowers are the little part within the large decorative bracts, but the whole package looks like a large flower. After the small flowers inside decline, the sepals continue, so it looks like the flowers last a long time. In zone 3, these flowers start in April and continue until June. They are the first perennials to bloom in spring in my garden.

In the back of the picture above, there are  some white Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) bulbs flowering at the same time as the Helleborus. You can also see the decorative burgundy red stems of the hellebore.

Helleborus 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince) back of flower

This photo shows the beautiful pink striations on the back of these flowers, with a cream border.

Another decorative part of Ivory Prince is the nicely shaded leaves. They have a faint marbling pattern to them, a good shape, and a stiff texture. Surprisingly, these leaves leaves survive under the winter snow, giving a quick start to this zone 3 garden when the snow melts in spring. Even if they didn’t have those pretty blooms, I would still grow the Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’  for the early greenery in a cold climate.

Here is an earlier post with more photos and information about Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince‘.

Very early spring is when I appreciate the perennials with evergreen leaves the most. We’ve had some unusually warm weather for March, so some snow has melted in pockets, and some perennial leaves are showing for the first time in months. It’s a lot of fun tramping through the snow to the little melted sections to scout for the newly revealed foliage. I love the colour boost that evergreen perennials give to the lackluster garden, before the new perennials and bulbs are up. They really lengthen the gardening season. Here are the hardy plants I found in the garden.

Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) leaves in March

I was especially pleased to see the Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) leaves looking so fresh. These were newly planted last fall, and I wasn’t sure how they would come through, since these perennials are rated for two zones warmer, but they seem to be hardy indeed. The wild ginger are not only surviving, but are a shiny green. Those green arrows will look great  when fully released from the snow. This winter was a good test of their fortitude, since the temperatures went down to -43º C (-45º F), and into the -50′s with the wind chill. These Asarum didn’t get any leaf mulch for protection, just snow cover, so they have done well to preserve their foliage in such great shape. The Asarum arifolium are under some tall evergreens, which may have helped protect them too. I’ll be planting more of this terrific groundcover this year, and hoping that it spreads quicker than the Asarum europeaum, another good looking ginger.

Asarum europeaum (wild ginger) evergreen leaves

The Asarum europeaum (European wild ginger) are still looking fresh and green after being buried in snow for the past four and a half months. You would think that the severe temperatures would destroy the vulnerable plant leaves. Most plants here that stay green through the winter have the smaller surface area of needles, and a waxy coating. You have to admire a brave perennial that survives with broad, flat leaves intact.

Heuchera Plum Pudding purple leaves in March

Heuchera is another perennial that thinks dropping your leaves in the fall is for wimpy plants. The Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ is amazingly fresh looking. I love the bright purple flash of the leaf underside. That purple foliage is a jolt of colour in a sea of brown. There is nothing else that comes close to this level of brightness at this time of year in Edmonton.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' in March

Here is a closeup of the top of the Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ leaves. You can see the silver and purple tones overlaying the green patterns, with colourful veins.

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' leaves looking fresh after winter

Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ is another perennial that ignores the idea of seasons. The Helleborus motto is, “If green is good enough for summer, then it’s good enough for winter.” The surrounding glacier has very recently retreated, and the Helleborus are already soaking up the sunshine. They gave me a disappointed look, because I was wearing pants instead of shorts.

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' leaves from snow

Here is a closeup of the Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ collecting the first sun rays of spring. I don’t know how much photosynthesizing a plant can do in these temperatures, but the hellebores collect all they can before the deciduous trees above leaf out and shades them.

Campanula portenschlagiana (dalmatian bellflower) leaves from snow

While the Campanula portenschlagiana ‘Hoffman’s Blue’ (dalmatian bellflower) leaves are a plain green colour, they make up for it with their quantity of foliage. Their multitude of leaves make it look like mid-summer. I have a long row of this steadfast bellflower at the side of the house, and the frozen white stuff is the only clue there that it’s really not spring. By summer, these Campanula are completely covered in purplish blue flowers, but I’ll settle for some green for now. There are other Campanula (bellflowers) that are displaying their leaves too, making them a great genus for extending the gardening year.

Iris new leaves in March

Here is my first perennial this spring with new foliage, an iris. It doesn’t take much warmth for these tenacious plants to start growing, but this is the earliest I’ve seen the iris shooting up. I hope that their optimism doesn’t get crushed by too heavy of a snow load. It’s a good thing that they can’t read the calendar and see that it’s only March. Maybe I’ll have iris blooms in April this year! (or maybe I’ll have a bunch of frozen buds)

I love spring, the most optimistic time of the year. I can’t wait for the rest of the snow to recede, and to see if all of my old favourites will reappear. Since I took the pictures, some Epimedium have been revealed with last year’s green foliage still rising up through the snow. I’m also curious to see if the rest of last year’s new perennial additions survive a zone 3 winter. I’ll probably wait awhile to remove all of the winter leaf mulch from the garden beds. We are sure to have more cold weather before the reliably warm days arrive. This taste of spring is about a month early this year. However, when all is drab and beige around town, it is a boost to see the well preserved evergreen leaves. I’m already excited about gardening, and I haven’t even seen the first spring bulbs yet.

The perennials in my garden with semi-evergreen leaves are still looking good, despite the below freezing temperatures,  but the – 35°  C (-31 ° F) temperatures that will come later this winter will test their cold hardiness. Alternating cold and warming spells  can stress perennials, with the freeze thaw cycle.  We usually get consistent snow cover from December to April, which helps to insulate the plants. I’ve found that adding a layer of deciduous leaves over them also helps insulate the perennials from a cold zone 3 winter.

Just before the snow comes, the leaves from the trees overhead cover the garden. The trees do a pretty good job, and I assist by helping to fill in the garden sections that are missed, covering the perennials up with the fallen leaves. All of the perennial crowns benefit from the winter leaf mulch, and the plants still holding onto their leaves will appreciate the above ground protection too.

Helleborus Ivory Prince leaves before covering

Here is the fantastic foliage of Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’. These are semi-evergreen, and will stay on the plants until spring, but that means that the severe temperatures, and drying winds can damage these leaves. Last year, the leaf cover kept the Helleborus in excellent shape until April, as well as protecting the crowns.

Helleborus Ivory Prince under fall leaves

A thick leaf pile collects under the willow tree, and here it is on top of the Helleborus. I threw some  extra armfuls over them. The slender willow branches placed over top help keep the leaves in place when the wind blows.

Heuchera 'Mint Frost' in fall leaves

Heuchera (coral bells) can heave out of the ground over winter, but the extra leaf layer helps to insulate them. I had no heaving of these perennials last winter.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' under fall leaves

The Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ (coral bells) contrast with the deciduous leaves. You can see the wonderful burgundy coloured stem on these perennials, while the purple and silver colour of the leaves is even stronger from the cold temperatures.

Campanula under fall leaves

In the above photo, the Campanula (bellflowers) are partially covered with leaves. Most of the bellflowers I grow are very hardy in zone 3, and survive fine without leaf cover, but the extra layer in the garden won’t hurt them.

When the snow melts in spring, and the temperatures get warm, I remove the protective leaf cover from the garden beds. This is the fun part of spring gardening, pulling back the leaf mulch to see what is growing underneath. Some of the leaves have broken into small pieces, and will decompose into the garden soil, forming part of the mulch. The rest is set aside to decompose and be added back later. The perennials will use the good nutrients in the leaves.

Although we’ve had  a few nice weeks, the temperatures are consistently below freezing at night. The willow tree, which hangs on the longest, is losing the last of  its leaves. While the intricate pattern of branches is outlined overhead, underneath the fallen leaves will blanket the garden, and help protect the perennials.