Wedding Party® Father of the Bride Lenten Rose

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Partial Sun

(3 - 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

18-24 Inches

Mature Spread

24-36 Inches

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Most double hellebores hide their best details by nodding down, but Wedding Party® Father of the Bride turns the blooms outward so you can actually see them. This hellebore carries large, fully double yellow flowers, each about 2–2½ inches wide, with a burgundy “eye” that looks hand-painted at the center. The plant forms an upright clump roughly 18–24 inches tall and wide, with palmate, leathery, evergreen foliage. We plant it where we’ll walk past in late winter and early spring, because it rewards a quick glance like few shade perennials do.

It blooms for weeks when the garden is still half asleep, offering early forage for bees and color under bare branches. The Wedding Party® series is selected for vigor and heavy flowering, and this one is not delicate despite the fancy blooms. Once established, it’s notably tolerant of dry spells and salt exposure compared to many woodland perennials. Deer and rabbits typically leave hellebores alone. Tuck it into a woodland border, mass it on a shady slope, or use it as a refined anchor in a mixed shade container.

Wedding Party® Father of the Bride Lenten Rose Care

Give it part shade to shade, and protect it from hot afternoon sun. Plant so the crown sits just above the surrounding soil line, then settle it in with a deep watering to eliminate air pockets around the roots. It adapts to many soil types, but performs best in soil that’s rich with organic matter and drains well, with pH ranging from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Water regularly through its first growing season, then let the plant’s deepening root system do more of the work, watering during extended dry weather. A top-dress of compost in spring is usually enough; if your soil is lean, add a light dose of a balanced slow-release fertilizer as new growth begins.

In late winter or very early spring, remove last year’s tattered leaves to showcase the flowers and reduce disease carryover. After bloom, you can snip spent flower stems if you prefer a cleaner look, but avoid digging or dividing unless you must—hellebore roots like stability. In colder areas prone to freeze-thaw, a fall layer of mulch helps prevent heaving. Keep all parts of the plant away from pets and children, as hellebores are poisonous if ingested.

Wedding Party® Father of the Bride Lenten Rose Spacing

Space plants 18–24 inches apart so each clump can fill out without crowding. Its side-facing blooms make it a natural for paths and patio pots where you’re close enough to appreciate the layers. For containers, start with a 14–16 inch pot with drainage and keep it sheltered from harsh winter wind if you’re in the coldest zones. Combine it with a hardy fern, striped sedge, and daffodils for early-season color with contrasting texture.

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