Hellebore

Hellebores are HOT these days, and deservedly so.  With long-lasting flowers and great evergreen foliage, what's not to love? They're look terrific with spring bulbs, ferns, epimedium, lungwort, hostas, or in drifts by themselves.  Plant them along your front walk, like I did, and so you'll see the blooms. Native to Europe.

 

The most popular types are:

• H. niger (called Christmas rose), which spreads slowly and grows to about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall.
• Lenten rose (a hybrid), which is easier to grow than H. niger.
• Stinking Hellebore (H. foetidus) which lasts 4 to 5 years and grows as tall as 4 feet.

Details

• Best under deciduous trees, especially if limbed up so they'll get light during the winter. Can't handle deep shade or full sun in summer.

• Christmas roses bloom in early February here in Zone 7; Lenten and Stinking bloom in March.
• Blooms last for months.
• Hardy to Zones 4-8.
• All parts are poisonous if eaten.

Care

• Some experts say to divide in the fall; others warn that division can be fatal.  I haven't found it necessary to take that chance.
• Make sure leaves and mulch don't smother it.
• Cut off old leaves in mid-winter or as they're blooming to neaten their appearance.
• H. Niger needs more moisture than the others, which are relatively drought-tolerant.
• Cut flowering stems to ground after finish blooming.

Stories from the Garden

• Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide got a big thumb's up in this review on GardenRant.
• The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is the best-selling book on how to make your perennials healthier and better-looking.
• Encyclopedia of Perennials by Graham Rice is exhaustive and an outstanding general resource on the subject.
• The Complete Flower Gardener by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.

 

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