awaytogarden.com Gardeners who love to travel have no doubt come across gorgeous hellebores or Lenten roses. In moderate climates, these flowering plants are frequently used as foundation or specimen plants. Although they are not as commonly seen in Kansas, Lenten roses are deer resistant perennial shade-loving flowers that are among the earliest to bloom in our gardens. Bloom time varies a little with variety and weather conditions, but the flowers generally appear in early March. The foliage remains green year round. The most common kind of hellebore sold, the Lenten rose type (helleborus x hybridus), was designed to produce large blooms in a range of colors from white to purple. Double Ladies are hellebore plants that produce double-petal blooms. pixabay.com Look for hellebores in garden centers over the next few months. Selecting a plant when it is flowering ensures getting a mature plant and a variety with pleasing blossoms. Small hellebores will flower between two and three y