
I want to share with you about a garden treasure that you might not know about, but that I consider a must-have in the landscape: hellebores. You might have heard of Christmas Roses or Lenten Roses, two common names for hellebores (the name indicated bloom time – Christmas or Easter depending on variety).
These hardy, evergreen, long-lived perennials bloom at a time of year when not much else is, and when I tell you they’re stunning I’m not exaggerating! They basically produce their own anti-freeze which means that even when temperatures are in the teens, they don’t need any special protection. They’re a ‘plant and enjoy’ kind of flower! The only maintenance they need is a yearly trim to remove old foliage.

Hellebores also make excellent cut flowers and have a very long vase life. Blooms go through several stages on the plant as they age and put on a show for up to several months. But maybe my favorite thing about hellebores? Their light needs. They thrive in shade to part-sun! There aren’t many flowers that bloom well in shade, but this is definitely one of them.

The only down-side of hellebores is their price tag. They’re very slow growers so they spend the first several years of their life in a nursery before becoming large enough to sell. The extra time and care they need to get them started costs more than the average plant. I recommend starting with 2-3 plants and adding a few to your patch each year. Expect to pay $15-$40 depending on the size plant you purchase.

There are many fancy hybridized varieties with blooms in all shapes and sizes, but I usually stick to Helleborus Orientalis. Some of the fancier hybrids produce sterile seeds that won’t germinate. Orientalis produces fertile seed so I leave a few blooms on each year to go to seed and get more hellebores. I plan to let nature take over and allow my patch to grow naturally, in addition to adding a few new mature plants each year.

Hellebores look great in a cottage garden, around the base of a tree, or at the edge of a natural area. I have only ever planted them in the ground, but I’ve been told they do well in appropriately-sized pots. Perfect for a shaded townhome patio or apartment balcony!
Locally, Pike’s nursery in Matthews has a wide selection of plants and I’ve always been happy with my hellebore purchases from there. There are also numerous online-nurseries that a simple google search will turn up if you’re looking for some of the fancy hard-to-get hybrids.

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