HELLEBORUS - THE WINTER ROSE

Of all the winter flowers none are more beautiful than the Hellebores. These are the darlings of the winter garden, and those that know and grow them, soon become addicted to their subtle charms.

The hellebores commence flowering in July and they create a simply stunning look with their nodding flowers of white, cream, green, yellow, apricot, rose pink, deepest maroon and almost black. Those with pale green flowers have a special beauty all their own. The foliage creates its own interest with its deeply cut shape and serrated edges that are sought after even when the plant is not in flower. They are also long-lived.

 
Helleborus niger,  otherwise known as the 'Christmas Rose' because it flowers in the depths of the northern winter, is one of the earliest to flower. Some dazzling hybrids have been bred from it. H. 'White Magic' is a New Zealand bred beauty.

Down south near Balclutha, Ken Telford of Clifton Homestead Nurseries breeds some spectacular varieties of Helleborus and has added a great range of colours to these winter beauties. We currently stock Helleborus orientalis in white, yellow, pink, apricot and the darker colours known as Dark Hybrids, such as maroon, blue-black and claret. One of the hellebores grown by Ken was featured on a NewZealand stamp some years ago - quite an honour.

Cultivation

• Hellebores require little care. They will grow in any reasonable garden soil, preferring those that are slightly alkaline to an acid soil.
• Ensure that you prepare a good planting site by incorporating compost into the soil before you plant, as hellebores enjoy a moist soil rather than one that dries out quickly.
• Plant in large planting holes, at least 40-45 cm in diameter and 15-25cm deep. Ensure that the plants are planted at the right depth with 2.5cm of soil above the point where the roots break from the crown of the plant.
• Removing the previous year's leaves on H. orientalis hybrids in winter will allow you to see your plants more easily, and the old leaves are generally weather-battered and unsightly anyway. Fresh new leaves will emerge to set off the lovely flowers. This can seem like a lot of work but is truly worth it to display the plants to their best advantage.

Most hellebores are hardy in winter conditions. They will tolerate frost and will grow in shady places.

Folklore informs us that in former times, hellebores were planted close to cottage doors to prevent evil spirits from crossing the threshold. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that the flowers are sometimes commonly known as the Christ Rose - or maybe it is just due to the fact that they bloom at Christmas time in the northern hemisphere!