Helleborus

Botanical/Latin
   Helleborus

Pronunciation
   Hell-e-bore-us

Common Name
   Lenten Rose, Christmas Rose

Hardiness zone range
   5 - 9

General Comments
These universally beloved beauties are fabulous plants for the early spring garden. They have attractive evergreen and semi-evergreen foliage, and nodding clusters of sumptuous, cup-shaped flowers in a wide range of shades from white to near black. The flowers last for an incredibly long time, appearing first in early spring and lasting often a full 3 months or more until early summer.

Uses
They are the earliest of all perennials to flower, making a welcome sight in early spring. Place them near highly frequented places like beds at entranceways, paths, and driveways, or within view of ground floor windows.

Planted as informal groups, they combine together beautifully to create much needed color and interest at this time of year. The magnificence of each flower is only fully appreciated when viewed at close quarters, so put them towards the front of beds, on sloping banks, or raised beds where it is easy to admire the upturned flowers.

The attractive, hand-like foliage is almost as pretty as the flowers; it remains evergreen in sheltered spots, so try to nestle them at the base of evergreens, hedges, or shady walls where they receive protection from winter winds.

They are natural woodland dwellers, making locations under deciduous trees and shrubs ideal. They naturalize well, and over time will form handsome colonies and drifts of ground cover.

They make good cut flowers for special occasions. They should only be cut when they are fully developed, because if they are cut too early they will wilt and shrivel. Try to keep the arrangements as cool as possible; our favorite way is to float the upturned flowers in containers of water to make interesting table arrangements.

Light Preference
Shade and partially shaded conditions.

Culture
They grow best in humus rich soils that are well drained and have a pH that is on the alkaline side of neutral. Young plants may take a year or so to establish. Once they take hold, they are very easy to grow, long lived, and require very little care. They are not troubled by pests or diseases, and deer, rabbits, and voles do not eat them.

Background
There are about 20 species of Helleborus that are native to mountainous forest areas in Europe and western Asia. Botanists disagree over some of their exact classification but the two most commonly encountered garden ones are Helleborus niger (commonly called the Christmas Rose, because in mild areas it flowers around that time), and, our favorite, Helleborus orientalis `Royal Heritage'. These exquisitely beautiful hybrids are the result of a long process of breeding in England that has perfected a range with comparatively large flowers in shades of white, pink, red, purple and near black, with some that have subtle shadings overlaid with maroon and red speckles. They are quite variable in nature and each one has its own unique qualities, but all have very long lasting flowers that consist of broad overlapping sepals (modified leaves that resemble petals), which explains why they last so long. They are commonly called Lenten Roses because in European gardens they are usually in flower during the period of Lent.

All parts of the plants are poisonous (a point to keep in mind with young children). The botanical name comes from the Latin helein (to kill) and bora (food) referring to legends that tell of the seeds and ground up roots being fed to husbands and leaders in ancient Greek and Roman murder plots.

Splendor Suggestions
To increase the number of plants, consider leaving the old flower heads to set seed and self-sow. They often produce little seedlings near the base of the plants, which can be lifted as small clumps and transplanted. They can be frustratingly slow (which is why they are so valuable). Another approach is to lift and divide bigger established clumps; this should be done very early in spring, before growth commences.

Companion Plants
Evergreens like Ilex (hollies) and conifers such as Taxus, Juniperus, and Thuja make good shelter providing partners, while small trees like Syringas (lilacs), Acers (maples), and Cornus (dogwoods), etc. will shade them from the bright summer sun. Early spring bulbs and semi-evergreen foliage perennials, like Heucheras, Liriope, and the silvery carpet of Lamiums, compliment the flowers, while spring flowering Dicentras, Aquilegias, and Violas work with them later in the season.