I’ll never forget the day my grandfather insisted that I take the Lenten roses from the yard that he and my grandmother tended for 55 years. At the time, I felt a little guilty taking mature plants worth a small fortune, leaving behind gaping holes in their garden. The following summer when my grandfather died and we had to sell their home, I understood his need to make sure their most treasured plants were in good hands.

Belonging to the genus helleborus, Lenten roses are also known as hellebores. The Lenten rose name refers to the blooms’ similarity to wild roses and appearance in late winter or early spring, usually coinciding with Lent. Some species of hellebores are called Christmas roses due to their mid-winter blooms.

I can attest that Lenten roses are low-maintenance plants well worth adding to your garden. The evergreen perennials thrive in light to full shade and provide year-round greenery; simply trim flower stalks and leaves when they turn brown. They begin to flower at a time when little else is blooming and the petals, which are actually sepals, stay intact for a few months. My Lenten roses emerge deep pink and gradually fade to light green, but hellebores are available in many varieties with combinations of pink, red, purple, light green, yellow and white blooms.

Lenten roses grow very slowly, so it takes several years before they become large enough to produce blooms, hence the high cost of mature plants. However, once established, they will last for many years. The seeds that fall from their flowers produce a never-ending supply of seedlings to share.

I often think that passing down plants through the generations is no less a quintessential Virginian tradition than passing down the family china or silver. Case in point—my mother still has a potted cactus that once belonged to her grandmother, who passed away in 1953.

There’s something special about keeping the memory of loved ones alive through the plants they once cared for. I look forward to watching the other plants from my grandparents’ garden awaken from their winter slumber in the coming weeks.