Hellebores
A big missing piece in modern gardens is the amazing perennial family of winter and spring blooming helleborus. Never in their long history has there been the breadth and depth of varieties, colours and flower forms to lift and brighten our gardens.
Beginning in December with the most well-known variety, Helleborus niger (better known as the Christmas Rose) and in April with the huge family of Helleborus orientalis (or Lenten Rose), they provide five months of continuous colour. In our own gardens we have truly come to rely more and more on these wonderful plants for early colour.
A big missing piece in modern gardens is the amazing perennial family of winter and spring blooming helleborus. Never in their long history has there been the breadth and depth of varieties, colours and flower forms to lift and brighten our gardens.
Beginning in December with the most well-known variety, Helleborus niger (better known as the Christmas Rose) and in April with the huge family of Helleborus orientalis (or Lenten Rose), they provide five months of continuous colour. In our own gardens we have truly come to rely more and more on these wonderful plants for early colour.
The ‘Gold’ collection of helleborus, introduced by the Heuger family in Holland, opened the door for January to May colour as we’ve never had before. These hellebores offer myriads of blooms over an extended period of time. Opening from pink buds, ‘Camelot’, ‘Cinnamon Snow’ and ‘Mahogany Snow’ all have delightful blends of pink and white shaded blossoms. Their compact habit and upward-facing blooms, and it’s wonderful that they show off at this time of year when there is so little colour in our gardens.
Helleborus niger ‘Pink Frost’ provides a nice variation with its burgundy and white buds that burst open to a lovely soft pink which darkens with age. As the blooms open in sequence, beautiful shading, from white to pink and red, takes place. Even if it never bloomed, its scented deep green leaves, unique vein display and marbled sheen rivals any evergreen perennial.
Another new jewel is H. ‘Merlin’, a rather compact soft pink bloomer with beautiful mottled silver and green foliage. ‘Love Bug’ is also unique with loads of smaller blooms creating a cluster effect, and they are far more weather tolerant and seem to last forever.
Other newer varieties are really quite spectacular. Helleborus ‘Penny’s Pink’ has large mauve-pink blossoms with interesting marbled foliage. ‘Anna’s Red’ has large burgundy-red flowers with fabulous marbled foliage spotted with shades of pink and white.
Plus today there are many hybridized crosses, from deep blacks, slate blues, and sunny yellows to rich apricots and the bi-colour picottees. Some of these varieties are real head-turners. Try to purchase them in bloom to see their true colours – picture tags seldom do them justice.
The double flowering varieties, which were quite rare and expensive, have now become far more available and far less costly. The double pink ‘Party Dress’ is quite dramatic and a real treasure in any garden. The ‘Double Jewel’ series from Terra Nova breeders in Oregon is really something special, but really, they are all stunning.
In spite of all these exciting new varieties, the old standbys, like Helleborus foetidus with its shade-loving chartreuse blooms and contrasting, dark foliage, and H. atrorubens, an unusually early flowering purple, have truly withstood the test of time and are garden stalwarts.
Once established, virtually all helleborus are very easy to care for and maintain. Never be afraid to cut unsightly foliage back and just leave a magnificent cluster of flowers breaking out of the ground like a fresh bouquet. Most varieties prefer morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled shade. All need well-drained humusy, barky soil to get established and perform well. Deer don’t seem to like them which is a huge bonus in many gardens. The only problem is their addiction – once you start collecting a few in your garden – you’re hooked!