Confronting a January landscape, many New Yorkers may rather be at home than discovering nature in our parks and gardens. Put on your scarf and mittens—the splendors of Madison Square Park Conservancy await! 

Madison Square Park is full of evergreen plants and early blooming shrubs that provide visual interest in winter, along with food and shelter for our native wildlife. While most of our plant life lies dormant in January, hellebores begin to emerge past the cold and snow. Madison Square Park boasts an enormous collection of hellebores, commonly known as lenten or winter rose. A native of Europe and Asia Minor, the hellebore bides its time in winter, and beneath its leathery winter foliage is a rosette ready to blossom. Hellebores have an extended bloom time, from February into March, their bloom extending into early spring and joining crocus and snow drops dotting the landscape. 

The genus Helleborus originates from the Greek words ‘heleîn’ to injure, and ‘borá’, food, originating from its poisonous roots and its ancient medicinal usage, which was somewhat misguided. In Ancient Greece, the roots were used to treat gout, but left patients with tinnitus and vertigo, ailments caused by the hellebore itself. In medieval times, hellebore roots were dried and inhaled, causing sneezing, as they believed it would expel evil spirits. All hellebores produce protoanemonin, which causes skin irritation, dizziness, or nausea. 

Although not a rose, this evergreen perennial is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Starting in January, the horticulture team clips back the old foliage of every single plant with heavy gloves to avoid contact dermatitis from the foliage. This allows for the new foliage to emerge undisturbed and for the blooms to be more visible. The foliage is palmate, characterized by several lobes radiating from a single point in a hand-like arrangement. The showy flowers come in a variety of shades, including white, grey, black, purple, red, yellow, and green. The colorful part of the flower is actually not a petal but a similar organ called a sepal. The true petals of the hellebore are much smaller and found in a whorl at the base of the yellow anthers, where they are often modified to produce nectar and attract pollinators.

Once in bloom, the demure, downward facing blooms of Helleborus can be seen enjoying the shade in the beds of Sol Lewitt, Sparrow, and Elm, among other beds. They are susceptible to sun scorch, making them the perfect plant for a shade garden and their unique bloom time provides nectar for pollinators on warm early spring days. 

Hellebores remind us that even in the quietest of seasons, plants are stirring and gearing up for spring! We hope that the next time you visit Madison Square Park you are fortunate enough to see these ancient and beautiful plants.

Photography by Gaby, Horticulture Manager, and Jasper DeWitt