THE HELLEBORES ARE COMING, THE HELLEBORES ARE COMING

When  American Nurseryman Editor Sally D. Benson first asked me to write a 1500 word story about Hellebores, I told her that  it was tantamount to trying to read the complete works of Shakespeare in one evening.  Well, she said, "With all due respect to the great bard, just give us a teasing taste for these magical plants"

So here's a brief glimpse into a Genus of plants whose popularity still hasn't peaked in the U.K. after 50 years and is just beginning its run in the US.

Commonly referred to as Christmas Roses (Helleborus niger), and Lenten Roses (Helleborus orientalis), Hellebores are  primarily native to Europe, with one recently discovered exception, H. thibetanus from Sichuan Province in China. Their taxonomic home is in the Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) family, the same family as Paeonia, Clematis, Thalictrum, Trollius and many other well known and wonderful garden plants.

They can be broken down into two basic groups, the "Caulescent" types,  meaning those whose foliar parts are borne on stems, such as H. foetidus, H. argutifolius and H. lividus etc,  and the "Acaulescent" types whose foliage emanates from the basal portion of the plant such as H. orientalis, H. purpurescens etc.

With one exception (H. lividus), Hellebores can be grown almost anywhere in the United States.  Culture is simple. They prefer moist, but not wet, rich, organic soil in full to light shade. In areas where winter is severe and there is no reliable snow cover, a mulch of shredded hardwood bark provides a warm blanket. They are greedy feeders,  and when using a timed release fertilizer such as Osmocote etc, I recommend the highest range. A Ph 5.5-7.0 is fine.

Hellebores have relatively few pest or disease problems. In some areas, they may be prone to an attack of Aphids, but the usual remedies will take care of this problem. An occasional bout with Botrytis which can be caused by poor air circulation in a cool damp area can be cured with Copper Sulphate, a relatively innocuous fungicide.

In these West Virginia Mountains,  where we have large deer populations, Hellebores are the one plant that they turn their noses up at.

Hellebores are wonderful companion plants for Galanthus (Snowdrops), Primula (Primroses), Tiarella (Foam Flowers), Epimediums (Barrenwort), Pulmonaria (Lungwort), and...... well just about anything that pleases you.

It's hard to find a more captivating, easy to grow plant. Even if they  never flowered, these garden gems would be  a worthwhile addition to virtually any garden. But flower they do and in brilliant array of colors shapes and forms.

The so called "Orientalis Hybrids", which,  to be taxonomically correct are now being referred to as Helleborus x hybridus are the result of generations of crosses between such species as H. purpurescens,  H. torquatus, H. orientalis, H. atrorubens et al. They have  tough, leathery, textured palmate foliage that is evergreen in most climates and 1 1/2"- 3" flowers that start in March and last into May.  The  color of the petals, which are really sepals, ranges from a mauve pink to an almost blackish purple with every imaginable color in between including pure white, yellow  and green.

There are many spotted forms which show the influence of H. orientalis ssp guttatus in their heritage. You can expect a 12" to 18" tall clump about 18" to 24" in diameter in a few years.

These large, colorful flowers droop down on a 45 degree angle. There is a  natural explanation for this if you consider the weather in late Spring.The drooping habit is a survival mechanism and  the plants natural defense against snow, sleet and rain that kills pollen grains which would prevent pollination.

 A really neat way to display the flowers is to cut them with about an inch of stem and float them in a bowl of water. They can last for weeks as they slowly fade into completely different colors.

Years of breeding in the U.K. and Germany have led to several named  H x hybridus cultivars, most of which are unavailable even in those countries, as the Hellebore is a very slow clump forming plant and not very generous in giving up as many divisions as it would take to satisfy demand. In light of this, most breeders are now offering "Strains". A strain is an unflowered seedling of a particular set of parents. In Hellebores, most strains usually resemble the better qualities of their parents. To date, tissue culture has proven disappointing in speeding up the propagation process, but there is hope for the future.

Hybridizing your own Hellebores is simple and fun. They are one of the easiest plants to breed. Take a paint brush or dark pipe cleaner and dab it onto the open anthers of one plant and touch the pollen grains to the sticky stigma of another. That's all there is to it. Try it with two plants that have different merits such as color, shape, size etc.  Keep good records of your crosses. Use cotton drawstring bags weighted with a marble or two to prevent the seeds from popping open and spilling onto the ground.

Hellebores are very easy to grow from seed. The attractive flowers produce copious amounts of pollen during their long flowering season and you can rest assured that no matter how inclement the weather, there will be at least a few days that the bees are  flying about spreading pollen from plant to plant. The attractive seed pods swell rapidly as the weather warms and then one day without prior notice, pop open spilling their cargo of plump black seeds all over the ground. These seeds contain immature embryos that will mature in the moist warm leaf litter under the parent plant. As the weather turns colder the seeds will germinate, usually in late December
or early January. It takes 2-4 years before you see your first flowers, what a great way to learn patience and discipline.

Hellebores can also be propagated by division. Best time of year is early Spring or late Autumn. Dig or unpot the plants and hose off all of the soil so that you can see where to make your cuts. Use a sharp knife that has been dipped in alcohol and then rinsed in water. Try to leave at least two buds on each rhizome. Some plants may not flower in the year following division, but don't be concerned as they need that period to recover from their surgery.

Helleborus foetidus, whose name means foul odor has the dubious common name of "Stinking Hellebore". That' s a bad rap, as the delicate, lacy foliage has an unusual but unobjectionable scent.  Several cultivars exist, the most famous is H. 'Wester Flisk'. This plant was discovered in the garden of Mrs. Mamie Walker of Newburgh, Scotland in the early 70's. Its calling card is the brilliant red stem and the contrast of the green leaf petioles as they clasp it.

Helleborus niger is a white flowered species. Commonly referred to as the "Christmas Rose" as its frequently in bloom during the holiday season. The specific epithet, niger refers to its black roots. This is probably the hardiest of all the species and can most likely survive into zone 3. There are several cultivars and strains of H. niger, the most well know being 'Potters Wheel' an exceptionally large flowering strain,  with flowers of up to 5". This strain was developed during the 50's at Washfield Nursery in Kent, England.

Helleborus argutifolius, formerly known as H. lividus corsicus has coarse, toothed, arrow shaped foliage. It is slightly less hardy than  H x hybridus and should be given some extra protection outside of zone 6. It also requires better drainage. In 1930's Sir Frederick Stern crossed this species with Helleborus lividus. H. lividus is extremely tender even in most of the U.K. The cross brought some of the best traits of both parents into a interspecific hybrid seed strain known as H. x sternii. The resulting plants have the hardiness from H. argutifolius and the lovely silvery markings of H. lividus. I can't remember a single garden that I've visited that wouldn't benefit from the addition of a Hellebore or few.

ENJOY!!!!


Further Reading

Hellebores, Brian Matthews, Alpine Garden Society Publications, Woking UK
1989  This is the most complete taxonomic reference on the Genus. Its
loaded with historical information and is definitely for the serious
Hellebore fancier. Unfortunately it is currently out of print. The Alpine
Garden Society is planning a revision and reprint soon. I will announce the
new publication date as soon as I know it.

Gardeners Guide to Growing Hellebores, Rice & Strangman, Timber Press,
Portland OR 1993   More of a book for the grower-collector, still has a lot
of taxonomic information but more emphasis on growing and   culture. Loaded
with lots of great color photos by that master photographer Roger Phillips.
Includes information and photographs on hybridization.

Hellebores, Marlene Ahlburg, Batsford, London UK 1993 Hellebores from a
continental European perspective. This is a translation from Marlene's 1989
German language book. It has a good bit of photographs and includes a
descriptive taxonomic text as well.