Helleborus x hybridus 'Dark and Handsome'
If you like shade tolerant, winter blooming, deer-resistant plants then Hellebores are for you. Also known as Hellebore, Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose, Helleborus plants flower at various times throughout the winter and early spring when there is little else in bloom.
It is a real treat to walk through your garden in Febrary or March and be greeted with silver-dollar-sized Hellebore flowers in white, pastel yellow, pink, or purple...with or without contrasting spots. A few Hellebores have sweetly fragrant flowers (esp. Helleborus odorus) but most are unscented. One species, Helleborus foetidus, the so called stinking Hellebore, has a slightly malodorous scent that offends some noses and pleases others in the same way that Mahonia or Boxwoods do.
Once established, Hellebores are extremely tough and will make a beautiful 1.5 foot tall clump of dark green evergreen foliage in the shade garden. The foliage is usually shiny and has a stiff, coarse, leathery texture that is shaped like a hand. Although not soft to the touch, Hellebore leaves do provide a nice splash of green in the middle of winter. Some Hellebore leaves have attactive silver veins so that the leaves contribute as much color contrast to the garden as the flowers do.
Plant Delights Nursery produces its own line of colorful hybrid Hellebores from seed and we also carry hellebores from the top breeders around the world. Be sure not to miss our winter open house when we show off (and sell) our Hellebores when they are at the height of their bloom period.
Helebores are perfect for dry shade conditions where little else will grow. However, they grow fastest and produce the most flowers with friendlier conditions...good soil and consistent water. We like to grow hellebores along with hostas, farfugium and heucherella.
