| YEAR-ROUND GARDENING |
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Alongside these shadow lovers, hellebores, hydrangeas and anemones will grow. The hepatica can create a desirable border in a shadowed area. The striking features are not only the hairy stems but triple rounded or pointed lobes. They grow in areas just as the snow melts. Their nickname of liverwort is given because they mock the rounded lobes of the liver. The flowers have a fresh, delicate scent, and their fragrance promises spring is just around the corner. What appears to be the petals are technically the sepals. Three bracts surround each flower. The number of sepals on each flower usually varies between six and 10. Occasionally, complete double forms are found. Older plants form clumps with 20, 30 or more flowers, which open to their fullest on sunny days. The floral display lasts for several weeks. After the petals fall, the new leaves emerge. At first, each leaf is neatly furled. The leaf turns shiny and bright fresh green, then darkens as it matures. Some variations of the species may have speckled or marbled leaves and may be maroon on the undersides.
Hepatica
IN SPRING
By Joyce Arlene Corson, Master Gardener
Hepatica, the springtime beauty that shares ranks with snowdrops, aconite and squirrel corn, is a beauty to behold. If you can find this plant, it is an Easter promise for sure. I first found it growing on the north slopes on our property at Papkeechie Lake, and there it remains today. Flowers appear alone and completely leafless. Each flower warms the heart of all who see it, and their color does change from dark shades to lavender or even white. They even shimmer in the rays of sunshine that reach the forest floor through the branches of leafless trees. Hepatica hybridizes quite easily. Once established in a good location, it will live for many years. They form colorful little clumps of flowers that will bloom with some of the first spring flowers, such as the crocus.
There is also a shrub, Hepatica nobilis, that is evergreen. It can be found growing in rich eastern United States woodlands. Anemone, in the same family as hepatica, is also a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome in the buttercup family; it is native to woodlands in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Many plant nurseries have grown Hepatica in greenhouses and treat it as a florist flower rather than a garden plant. These connoisseurs have enlivened their beauty with hybridization techniques. Because of its nature, hepatica will move around a bit, and new ones may pop up in gardens when the bees get busy. Look for the flowers first. Good luck and happy hunting. n photos: Shutterstock.com
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