Plant This Shade-Loving Flower Near Your Hummingbird Water Fountain

Finding the right plant to grow in the shadow of a hummingbird fountain might be tricky, unless you know the best shade plants that also attract pollinators. Pretty Lenten roses (Helleborus x hybridus) are unique flowers that will brighten up shady spots that often get neglected. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds drink the nectar from the unspecialized flowers, making them ideal, pollinator-friendly plants, despite not being native to the U.S. So if you're thinking about installing a DIY hummingbird water fountain to keep hummingbirds clean and hydrated, consider growing Lenten roses, or hellebores, as an attractive ground cover below. Hummingbirds will thank you, and your garden will look magical.

From the buttercup family rather than the rose family, the Lenten roses most commonly grown in the garden are typically hybrid varieties. Perennial flowers, they will return year after year with the right care and conditions. At their highest, they grow about 18 inches to 2 feet tall, and they have a clumping and spreading style of growth. 

A major advantage of Lenten roses is their early, long-lasting blooms. The first warm-up during late winter can lead to an appearance of white, pink, lavender, and other colors. If you want to greet the first hummingbirds as they travel back to the U.S. after wintertime, plan to grow hellebores. They can start to bloom anywhere from late December to early February.

Hellebores are an example of a flower that can add color to your beds in winter. They are hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 9, but they can survive colder temperatures with added protection. These flowers thrive in deep shade to dappled sunlight. Growing them in the shade of your hummingbird water fountain is a simple method to provide ready nourishment for exhausted hummers after a long migration. 

Because they begin to pop up when it's still relatively cool out, Lenten roses can be a dependable source of nectar, whereas other flowers may arrive much later. And, because they do not have true petals but a sort of specialized leaf called a sepal, hellebore blooms may last up to 10 weeks at a time. Your hummingbird guests, plus various bees and other insects, will have plenty of food to enjoy from the late winter into early spring.

Growing Lenten roses, especially the hybridized varieties, is not too difficult and requires very little maintenance. Remember to avoid planting them in wet soil and remove old leaves to prevent fungus. Otherwise, this plant is not picky about soil type and is fairly drought tolerant. Lenten roses are beautiful purple flowers to add to your garden that are also deer-resistant, mainly due to their toxicity. While attractive to hummingbirds, other wildlife will stay away and leave your garden in peace. With the mild toxicity of the leaves, however, keep any eye on children and pets near your Lenten roses.