"In the springtime of ones life, hopeful hearts find roses beneath the snow".
This sentence beautifully describes this season of the year. A season that in hindsight expresses thankfulness for the labours of fall, says goodbye to the oftentimes long dormant season of winter, and expectantly welcomes the celebration of a new season out of doors. Gardeners have always had a sense of anticipation, a sense of hopefulness, and a sense of surprise. The Hellebores, a beautifully flowering hardy perennial is one such plant that oftentimes stirs passion in the hearts of gardeners.
Springtime is a season of anticipation... Sanguinaria Canadensis (Bloodroot).
My Hellebores are located just outside my bedroom window where I can enjoy their blooms and their handsome foliage. They are located under a Carolinian canopy of magnificent oaks, ironwood, shagbark hickories, and sugar maple.
All Hellebores enjoy moist, organically enriched soil. They don't like to be disturbed once they become established. Propagation is generally done by division in August or September. Well rooted divisions of 3 to 5 crowns is usually sufficient for transplanting purposes. It is also interesting to note that some plants will self seed.
Helleborus niger, the Christmas Rose, is the best known and possibly the best admired of the Hellebores. It forms a sturdy clump of pale green , smooth, leathery evergreen leaves that are divided into 7 to 9 segments, 3 inches to 6 inches long, and 1 to two inches across. A stem less, herbaceous plant, it grows to about 10 to 12 inches in height. Flowers are about 3 inches in diameter and are pure waxy white in colour to pinkish green that eventually fade into pink. They are rose-like in shape and are borne singly of stems. They normally bloom from December to March in Niagara. For colder regions, the flowering period will be delayed until April.
In colder regions, it is advisable to place a 4 to 6 inch layer of leaf mulch around the crown of these plants in late fall. This material should be removed in mid March.
Helleborus orientalis, the Lenten Rose, has several flowers that are borne on a 16 to 24 inch stalk. Flowers are varied in color and range from plum-purple, to shades of white, pink, to maroon. They are normally about 4 inches in width. Despite the fact that much research has been done to create a flower that is more uniform in color, clones of these plants are comparatively rare because they are slow to increase by division .Flowers of the Lenten Rose bloom later than its European cousin (February to May) and many gardeners have a preference to this species because of its floriferous habit.
According to John Valleau from Valleybrook Gardens in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Helleborus orientalis is the easiest of the two species to grow and because of their ornamental characteristics, are horticulturally very rewarding. They also grow well under a tree/shrub canopy. Some grooming of unsightly leaves may be necessary in late winter to improve the appearance of the plants.
Helleborus argutifolius, the Corsican Hellebore, is also available from many of the better garden centers and wholesale growers. This plant successfully grows in Zones 6 to 9 and has a height/spread of 18 to 24 inches with a similar spread. It blooms from February to May.
Helleborus atrorubens, the Purple Hellebore, has a deep maroon-purple that nicely sandwiches it's flowering period between the European and Asiatic species. Like Helleborus orientalis, this plant benefits from a periodic grooming of its foliage as required. This plant grows 12 to 16 inches in height and has a spread of 12 inches. It is useful for cut flower purposes and is oftentimes used as a specimen and massed in borders.
Forget crocus and winter aconite as the harbingers of Spring: my favourites are the Helleborus. (Dr. Virginia Hildebrandt)
They are among my favourites as well.
Helleborus orientalis – The Christmas Rose.
Enjoy every season of the year... every season of your life.
