Say Hello to Hellebores
When it comes to spectacular late winter and early spring foliage and bloom displays, nothing delivers like a hellebore. Its thick, textured leaves and ethereal flowers turn a shady spot in a frosty garden into a true paradise. Without a doubt, growing hellebores is a really worthwhile and gratifying experience. And if you follow a few basic guidelines, it’s also a piece of cake. Keep it right here to learn the basics of this beautiful evergreen’s nature and care, and say “Hello” to hellebores.
By John G. Stamos
Table of Contents
An Introduction to Growing Hellebores
It’s very early spring and still good and cold here in hardiness zone 5B/6A, and my hellebores are putting on one hell of a flower and foliage show in my frosty garden. (Man, I love these guys.) There’s just not another plant that delivers this kind of drama this early in the year. Sure, my crocuses emerged in late January, and they had flower buds set by the end of February. But the hellebores had them beat – they were sending up new growth out of the frozen ground in early January, and big, white flower buds were already set before the third week of January. Besides, crocuses are itty-bitty little things. Hellebores are big, bold, badasses. When it’s around 15° Fahrenheit outside, and you just happen to see new, thick green foliage with big, white flower buds stuck to it pushing up through the ice and snow, its tough to not imagine that you’re in Hawaii for a second or two. Ok, so the “Hawaii” part is ridiculous. But make no mistake, seeing those fresh green leaves and flower buds on a frigid day in the depths of winter definitely warms the heart. Hellebores will do that for you.
Hellebores are undoubtedly awesome. And growing hellebores, believe it or not, is really simple, if you follow a few basic rules. And, as a major bonus, now is the perfect time to plant hellebores. In fact, they’re on the list in my article from almost exactly this time last year, “5 Awesome Perennials You Can Plant Right Now.” These plants can take the cold, and they handle transplanting from a pot to the cold ground in late winter/early spring here in zone 5B/6A without a hitch. Since the time is right to plant them, let’s get to it. I’m going to give you some history and nomenclature, some planting info and some of the basics of growing hellebores, some of my field notes, an introduction to my newest hellebore (it just arrived via FedEx on 04-07-23), and, last but not least, a few product recs to help you achieve official hellebore caregiver status. Here you go, sports fans…
Growing Hellebores: History and Taxonomy
Genus and Species
The genus Helleborus was established by the Swedish botanist and taxonomist, Carl Linnaeus, in 1753. Since that time, twenty-two separate species of Helleborus have been recognized, along with a virtually countless number of hybrids and crosses. Almost all of the original twenty-two species have originated from, and are native to, parts of Europe and Asia. And of those twenty-two species, two are particularly noteworthy in terms of their relevance to ornamental gardening all over the world: Helleborus niger, and Helleborus orientalis.
What’s in a name? Helleborus niger is often known to gardeners as the “Christmas Rose” because of its propensity for winter blooming. Today, it largely exists in ornamental gardens in one of its many hybrid or cross forms. Helleborus orientalis is known to gardeners the world over as the “Lenten Rose” because it generally blooms from mid/late winter through mid spring, with its peak flower performance typically coinciding with the Christian Lenten period. It, like the Christmas Rose, exists in the realm of ornamental gardening mainly in one of its innumerable hybrid or cross forms. If you buy a “Lenten Rose” for your garden, you can pretty much bet your ass that you’re buying a Helleborus orientalis hybrid or cross. Since so many hybrids and crosses of H. orientalis exist, they are often collectively – and conveniently – referred to as Helleborus x hybridus.
It’s important to note that although these particular hellebores have the word “rose” in their common names, they are not at all closely related to true roses. Neither Christmas Roses nor Lenten Roses are roses. They are hellebores.
Things do get a bit murky in terms of nomenclature when H. niger and/or any of its many hybrid/cross forms are incorrectly lumped into the Lenten Rose, or H. x hybridus category. H. niger and its hybrids/crosses are not Lenten Roses, but H. orientalis and H. x hybridus (the collective and convenient name for H. orientalis‘ many hybrids/crosses) are.* It’s possible that some of this confusion arises from the fact that Helen Ballard, a famous British nursery owner, grower, and hybridizer, successfully created and propagated hybrid forms of both Helleborus niger and Helleborus orientalis. Sometimes her H. niger hybrid (Helleborus x ballardiae, or its crosses), which are Christmas Roses, are incorrectly identified as H. x hybridus, which are H. orientalis hybrids/crosses, and therefore Lenten Roses. Sometimes, the only way (unless you’re a botanist) to determine if a Lenten Rose is really a Lenten Rose (H. orientalis or its hybrids/crosses, H. x hybridus) and not a Christmas Rose (H. niger or its hybrids/crosses), is to check the plant’s official U.S. Patent name (assuming you’re lucky enough to know it), look up the patent in the patent abstract, and find its parentage. I’ve found that some plants that are commonly considered H. x hybridus Lenten Roses actually have H. niger (or its hybrids/crosses) parentage, and are therefore really Christmas Roses.
* Note: There are actual and verifiable hybrids/crosses between Helleborus niger (and/or its own hybrids/crosses) and certain Helleborus x hybridus varieties. In these cases, the resultant plants can be considered Christmas Rose/Lenten Rose hybrids/crosses.
Confusing, huh? For our intents and purposes right here, let me make it easier: Suffice it to say that Christmas Roses are Helleborus niger and its hybrids and crosses. Lenten Roses are Helleborus orientalis and its hybrids and crosses, which are collectively known as Helleborus x hybridus. And some hellebores can be Christmas Rose/Lenten Rose hybrids and/or crosses.
At the end of this article will be a bibliography of sorts: a reading list with links to, among other references, some excellent articles explaining the taxonomy and biology of the two major hellebore species I’m writing about here, as well as information about the esteemed Helen Ballard and her hybridization efforts as they pertain to both H. niger and H. orientalis. For anyone with further interest in today’s topic, the reading there should be fertile.
Whew! Now you can relax. The hard part’s definitely over. Trust me when I tell you that growing hellebores is way easier than trying to figure out what to call them.
Growing Hellebores: The Nuts and Bolts
Growing Hellebores: The Basics
Height – 24″. Spread – 24″. Light – full shade to partial sun, but can handle more sun in winter. Bloom color – white, red, pink, purple, dark blue, varied. Bloom time – mid/late winter to late spring. Foliage – evergreen. Hardy in zones 4–9. My particular hellebores are Lenten Roses. They are hybrids of Helleborus orientalis and are therefore considered Helleborus x hybridus. Two of my hellebores are Helleborus x hybridus ‘FrostKiss™ Molly’s White.’ The newest member of my hellebore family is also a Lenten Rose. It’s called Helleborus x hybridus ‘Wedding Party® Dashing Groomsmen.’ You’ll learn more about it in just a short while.
Notes from the Field
I planted my hellebores in the shadiest section of my garden. The first (a Molly’s White) was planted near the end of winter two years ago. It had already begun to flower when I planted it. I purchased it as a potted specimen and planted it within the last cold days of winter. I planted my second Molly’s White in early spring of last year. Since planting them, these Lenten Roses have required virtually no attention. Their flowers, last year, remained intact all the way into fall, and their gorgeous foliage remains green and healthy through the coldest months of winter. These are my favorite plants in the garden. My dog’s name was Molly. She passed away in 2001, and she’s always in my thoughts and in my heart. These lovely flowering evergreens are, for me, her namesake. My hellebores have a quiet, profound beauty. Their luminous flowers nod, and their thick foliage rustles softly when a breeze addresses them in their shady spot. They truly are my garden favorites.
Suggestions for Planting Hellebores in Late Winter or Early Spring
Plant them as soon as you get them. I purchased my two Molly’s White hellebores from a retail nursery, but quality online nurseries offer them for sale for delivery, as well. My newest hellebore (the third in my garden), in fact, came from an online nursery, and was just delivered to me on April 7th of this year (Good Friday). Whether they’ve been delivered to you by an online nursery, or you’ve brought them home from your local garden center, there’s a good chance your hellebores will be in your possession in late winter or early spring. Nurseries and growers know that this is optimal hellebore planting time. As long as the ground isn’t frozen solid and you’re able to dig a hole, you can plant your hellebores. Again, these plants can handle the cold down to hardiness zone 4. Many local and online nurseries are still offering hellebores for sale at the time of this writing. And potted form is generally the way you’ll get your hellebores (my newest hellebore addition arrived in a tiny, 3″cellophane “pot”).
Soil. These plants like a moist, well-drained soil that has a neutral pH or is slightly alkaline. As with all of my other plants, I bedded my hellebore in a potting mix which is slightly acidic and contains a slow release .10-.08-.06 fertilizer. But before I bought my first Molly’s White, I’d done some research and learned of hellebores’ soil pH preference. So when I planted them, I added some Espoma Garden Lime to the potting soil in order to bring the pH level up a bit past neutral into slightly alkaline territory (between 7 and 7.5). The slow release fertilizer in the potting soil (which by now has been long exhausted) is the only fertilizer my hellebores have ever received. I don’t plan on doing any additional fertilizing for these plants. The soil in which they’re planted remains slightly alkaline, with a pH of approximately 7.5. If a drop in pH makes it necessary, I’ll top dress their soil with more garden lime.
Growing Hellebores: Your Ongoing Duties
Are you currently growing hellebores in your own garden? If yes, then you’ll already know there’s not a whole hell of a lot you’ve gotta do to keep them going. If you’re going to be growing them soon, plant them like I just told you and keep reading. (Spoiler alert: It’s disgustingly simple.)
Pruning. Both Christmas Roses (H. niger and its hybrids/crosses) and Lenten Roses (H. orientalis/H. x hybridus) are considered to be acaulescent hellebore species. This means that they have no visible, aerial main stems. Their flowers come up on leafless flower stalks, but their leaves and corresponding leaf stems appear to emerge directly from the ground. I think that this anatomical trait definitely contributes to hellebores’ awesome-ness quotient. I was curious about this characteristic with mine so I decided to check it out. And now we all know what “acaulescent” means. (Praise be to Wikipedia.) As far as pruning those flower stalks and leaves is concerned, it is primarily a matter of personal taste. Some members of my local gardening cabal like to chop off cold/frost-damaged leaves at the end of winter (they’ll get a lttle brown at the margins, and their stems weaken and sort of “splay out”) in order to prevent any potential sogginess-turning-to-fungal-infection situations from arising. I happen to like the way those leaves look at the end of winter, so I generally leave them in place until mid April, or thereabouts. I definitely leave the flower stalks alone until really late fall or early winter. The flowers and leafy flower stem bracts remain somewhat intact until that time, and I like the way they look. So I leave ’em alone.
Check soil pH. Hellebores are extremely tough, non-demanding plants. (As I mentioned earlier, I never even fertilize mine.) At least in the case of my hellebores, some minor dips in pH levels have caused no problems whatsoever. But, since hellebores do prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and the soil in my garden generally tends to be slightly acidic, I do keep an eye on my hellebores’ specific patch of dirt. Since I originally bedded them with garden lime mixed into their soil, their immediate soil environment has remained slightly alkaline (a pH of around 7.5). When I planted my newest little guy (which you’ll read about below), I of course also bedded it with garden lime, and I tossed a handful of garden lime onto the dirt (top dressed) around my two established hellebores for good measure.
So, pruning and soil watching: as far as the ongoing duties involved with growing hellebores go, besides making sure they don’t kill anyone (I’m completely serious about this – you’ll read about it immediately below), this is pretty much all you’ve got to do. Like I said, disgustingly simple.
Growing Hellebores Safely (and Successfully): Toxicity, People, Pets, and Pests
Hellebores (including H. niger/H. niger hybrids and H. orientalis/H. x hybridus) are toxic to all mammals, including humans. They contain three active ingredients, glycosides, saponin, and helleborin, each of which adversely and acutely affects a separate, specific bodily function. Ingesting any part of a hellebore can be fatal. Don’t eat any part of a hellebore, don’t let your kids eat any part of a hellebore, and don’t let your pets eat any part of a hellebore. Got it? I’m absolutely serious. These things can kill you.
I’ve found that my own hellebores’ toxicity has resulted in one specific benefit: No mammalian pests ever screw with them. Voles and chipmunks, which are periodic intruders, give my hellebores a wide berth. Do these critters possess an instinctive avoidance mechanism? Does the plant taste terrible? Did the news spread after one or two of them tried the sampler platter and kicked the bucket? Is it a combination of all three? I have no idea. What I do know is that nobody messes with the hellebores.
And Baby Makes Three...
Growing Hellebores: A Hellebore Population Growth Spurt
I welcomed my newest hellebore this past Good Friday, and Dashing Groomsmen (Helleborus x hybridus Wedding Party® ‘Dashing Groomsmen’) joined my two Molly’s Whites in the dirt when I planted it on Easter Sunday. I’m including this news here because it’s fairly illustrative of a few salient points of hellebore ownership and care. The first concerns how and when hellebores will fall into the hands of most gardeners (those, like me, who are not botanists/horticulturalists and do not grow such plants from seed). You’ll typically end up with a hellebore in late winter or early spring – which is the ideal time to plant it – and it will typically be in a pot (or at least something that passes for a pot – my Dashing Groomsmen came, via FedEx, in its own cozy, 3″ cellophane accommodations). The second point concerns the provision of slightly alkaline soil for a new hellebore (neutral’s usually fine, but I do like my guys to be growing in soil that’s slightly alkaline). I duly mixed garden lime into the soil of my new hellebore’s piece of ground to ensure its happy transition from pot to plot. The third and final point my baby Dashing Groomsmen helps me illustrate concerns its own lineage and its characteristics. It’s a Helleborus x hybridus, which makes it a hybrid or a cross of Helleborus orientalis, and it was developed by famed Walters Gardens hybridizer, Hans Hansen as part of his Wedding Party® series. The plant has got all of the qualities that make H. x hybridus hellebores so tough and beautiful, and it’s got incredible, dark-bluish, double flowers, to boot.
Growing Hellebores: Product Recommendations
I’ve just got three for you, and they’re all good ones. They’ll help you help your hellebores get their act together.
When growing hellebores, it’s important to know your soil’s pH levels. I bought this Luster Leaf Rapitest 4-way soil analysis meter in February of 2022 and have used it successfully time after time to test for soil fertility and pH levels. It also measures sunlight and soil moisture levels. It’s fast, easy to use, convenient, and accurate. By using this device, I’ve been able to determine the necessity of appropriate fertilizer applications and pH amending to the soil of my garden’s perennials. I absolutely love this little meter. Click the #advertisement link to order it here, conveniently from Amazon.
Before I bought my LusterLeaf Rapitest 4-way soil analysis meter, I used the Luster Leaf Rapitest 1601 Soil Test Kit. It’s also accurate, but requires a bit more time to use than the Rapitest 4-way meter. It’s still an effective and accurate product, and I highly recommend it. Click the #advertisement link to order it here, from Amazon.
Espoma Organic Garden Lime is the perfect product for increasing alkalinity levels in soil. It can be mixed with the bedding soil, or used to top dress soil around plants which are already in the ground. I use this to amend the soil of any of my plants with a preference for alkaline pH levels, like my hellebores. Order this product here, from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
For Further Reading
More on Growing Hellebores
This is sort of a quasi-bibliography with links to related articles, for those of you with a further interest in growing hellebores. I’ve used a number of these sources in my research for this article.
“Helleborus orientalis.” Wikipedia
“Helleborus x hybridus (Ballard’s Group).” Missouri Botanical Garden’s Plant Finder
“Helleborus x hybridus (red hybrid).” Missouri Botanical Garden’s Plant Finder
“Hellebore: Poisonous Plant of the Month.” Scarsdale Vets. Note: This article is extremely informative. It mentions correctly that ALL hellebore species are poisonous and potentially deadly, but it references only a few of those poisonous species. In order to avoid even the slightest possibility of confusion, remember that ALL hellebore species are poisonous and potentially deadly, including Helleborus niger (and all of its hybrids, crosses, etc) and Helleborus orientalis/Helleborus x hybridus (its huge collective group of hybrids, crosses, etc). Again, ALL HELLEBORES ARE POISONOUS AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY TO HUMANS AND ALL OTHER MAMMALS.
Growing hellebores in hardiness zone 5B/6A comes with some pretty exciting benefits, like watching new green growth and setting buds coming up out of the ground in late December (see my two bushes doing that very thing in the pics below).
My final “For Further Reading” recommendation really isn’t a recommendation at all. It’s a book, Helen Ballard: The Hellebore Queen, by Gisela Schmiemann, which I can’t recommend because I’ve never read it. I do, however, think that it looks extremely intriguing, and that its subject matter is entirely relevant to the topic here today on The Renaissance Garden Guy. So I do feel justified making you aware of its availability. If anyone orders it and reads it, or has read it, I’d love to know what you think. Fill out a “Contact Me” form or leave a comment in the “Comments” section of this article. In any case, here’s the #advertisement link if you’d like to order it. (I’m thinking this just might be one I order myself. It looks beautiful, and I’ll bet it’s worth reviewing, too. Hmmm… ).
Helen Ballard: The Hellebore Queen
By Gisela Schmiemann
Click here to learn more or to order
#advertisement
We’re at the end, gang. You now know everything I know about growing hellebores. You’ve got their history, and you know their names. You know how I plant and take care of my hellebores, and you know that you and your loved ones are not supposed to eat your hellebores (or ANY hellebores) because they can be deadly. You’ve met my new, baby hellebore. You know the products, as well as the further reading, that I’m recommending. You’ve got the whole spiel. And now that it’s all said and done, growing your own hellebores should be a snap!
Thanks, everyone, for sticking around. As always, I appreciate your interest and your readership.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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Hello!
I was reading that propagating the frostkiss series is illegal – especially if it’s for sale – given that they are a patented hybrid.
I’m having trouble understanding how that works, given the confusion across the board between xniger and xhybridus and how difficult it is to visually determine one Hellebore from the other (unless you are a botanist)
Can you shed some light on that? Am I going to jail?
Thank you for reading the article, Katya, and thank you for your excellent comments. I’ll start by saying that I’m not a lawyer, and I can’t advise you on questions of legality. But from what I understand, patented plants of any kind can only be propagated and/or sold by an entity (individual or company) that is licensed to do so. I would never attempt to intentionally propagate any patented plant. I do know, however, that hellebores, as a genus, can be prolific self-sowers. I’ve read and heard about cases where hellebores had escaped the boundaries of cultivated gardens and had established naturalized colonies in the wild. I think the key point here is that intentional propagation of any patented plant without a license, especially with the intent to sell it, is a big no-no. But again, I’m not a lawyer.
As far as your second point goes, I completely agree with the fact that trying to figure out which hellebore species, variety, hybrid, and/or cross is which by appearance alone is next to impossible for someone who’s not a botanist or horticulturist. I think that buying a hellebore from a reputable nursery, obtaining the genus and species name (including any hybrid or cross nomenclature/reference) from the nursery (it’s typically on the plant tag), and then back-checking the patent abstract is probably the best way to check individual hellebore parentage.
I hope this info was helpful. Again, I’m no lawyer, but I can tell you that I, personally, would never attempt to intentionally propagate a patented plant of any kind.
Thanks once again, Katya!
I planted one the beginning of April, I bought it from a flower show….it is totally dead to the ground, will it come back?
I’m assuming that you planted it at the beginning of April of this year. These plants are not herbaceous. They do not die back to the ground. They’re evergreen. In winter, they typically start sending up new growth from their crowns (in the center of the plant), but the previous year’s foliage also remains. If the plant is healthy, you’ll see this new growth as described. The previous year’s foliage, which begins to “sprawl” outward (and is probably cold/wind-damaged) can be pruned back. You may want to keep your plant watered and cared for, as you normally would, to see if any new growth emerges. If not, there’s a strong possibility that the plant may have died. I wish you luck,and I really do hope your hellebore pulls through.
My hellebore are growing amongst vinca groundcover. Should I try to move them? One seems happy, the older one is looking rather sad.
Without knowing all of the field conditions, it’s tough for me to say for sure. The groundcover shouldn’t interfere with the health of your mature plants. It’s possible that a dense covering of the vinca could suppress hellebore self-sowing, but it shouldn’t hassle the mature plants. You might want to make sure that the struggling plant’s soil is not overly acidic. They tend to like the pH slightly north of 7. Also, if the plant is getting too much direct sun, that condition could be causing its problem. Too much water in poorly draining soil is another problem. Hellebores handle transplanting really well. If you decide to move it, make sure you’re careful to start your digging far enough out from the plant’s crown in order to get as much of the root ball as possible, and minimize the potential for transplanting stress/shock. I really hope your plant survives, and I do hope this answer is at least somewhat helpful. Please let me know how everything goes. Best of luck!
Read your article with lots of interest since I have a real problem with deer and rabbits eating my plants/bushes! We are in our Ohio home from May through the end of October then south for the winter so I have a couple questions. Pruning would be the second week of May..is that too late. Also, are they sustainable on the Gulf Coast of Texas?
Thank you so much for reading the article, Colleen. Hellebores are definitely toxic to mammals. I’m not sure if certain mammals have an innate aversion to them, or if they learn to avoid them the hard way. In any case, if grazing wildlife is an issue, it couldn’t hurt to use a topical or systemic repellent (sprays, granulars, etc) on your plants. In terms of pruning, the only thing you should be cutting off are browning/shriveled leaves which had been damaged over the winter, and dead/spent flower stalks and blooms. You can remove those any time. But don’t cut back healthy foliage. These plants are evergreen, and they need those healthy leaves in order to feed (photosynthesis). Hellebores are typically hardy all the way up to zone 9, which I believe is the Texas Gulf coast zone. They should do fine there. Hope this info helps, Colleen. Thanks once again for giving this one a read – it’s much appreciated!
My first ever Hellebores (double flowered wedding party & Breck’s Super Hellebore collection) will be delivered end of April. Thanks very much for this information about them, I just ordered the lime (I have a tester) so, wish me luck!
Wonderful! They’re lovely little evergreen bushes. The flowers are lovely, and the foliage is fabulous. They add great texture and year round interest to shady areas in the garden. Best of luck with your future hellebores. Please send me pictures. We’ll share them right here!
Hellebores are a miracle! They are beautiful, and so hardy. They really let us know that spring is coming!
You’re absolutely right on all counts, Kevin – thank you for reading the article!
Hello Hellebores !!!
Finally spring is here and your first flowers are awakening !!! Always an amazing article full of knowledge and beautiful images… can’t wait to see your full magnificent garden alive 🙏❤️🌺🌼🌸
I thank you very kindly, Roxxy! I’m so glad you liked the article – thank you for reading it! And I am SO glad that spring is finally here – this past winter seemed to drag on and on. At last, some color is starting to sneak its way into the landscape. It makes me happy to know that you’re enjoying my garden, and I’m entirely grateful that you’re putting up with me while I write about it – thank you again, Roxxy!
Exciting to see the beginnings of spring in your area. As always, your writing is enjoyable to read.
Thank you, Rick. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. It definitely is heartening to see these wonderful signs of spring. It’s been a long winter! Thanks again, Rick!
The beautiful helleborus is one of my favorites, as it lets us know spring is here!
Thank you for reading the article, Mary. I do appreciate it. And I totally agree with you. Hellebores are beautiful, and they truly are harbingers of spring. Thank you once again!