The Main Plant entry for Hellebores (Helleborus)

I love Hellebores, also called Lenten rose, Christmas rose. They do not have anything to do with roses, not even distantly related. I love them, because I do not have to worry that squirrels move them and transfer them to my neighbors' gardens, they do not need watering, only right after planting them in good soil, until they are well established. They are indeed, all parts of them, poisonous, so cats and dogs do not come near them, never leaving their 'gifts and perfume' near them. Their leaves also do not encourage anyone to touch them, their edges are armed with shallow teeth. Even deer stay away from them. They bloom profusely, depending on the weather, sometimes around Christmas, very often around Lent. I just found out from an article that I read somewhere, maybe in the Express that I picked up at the Metro Station, that it was time to prune the leaves off. --Oh, no, I had never done that. Good idea, so yesterday I cut off all the leaves and stem, cut them as close to the ground as possible. So now the blossoms, still buds, are all exposed, and I am waiting for them to open, finally fully exposed. I should have known it, because the leaves are mostly lying flat on the ground, making it easy to find the end of the stems close to the ground. This way I also can see where little plants have sprout up, so I can easily dig them and plant them somewhere else or share with friends. Never too late to learn something new.

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Once established, most Hellebores are drought-tolerant plants, particularly if given some dappled shade in areas of long, hot and dry summers. Hellebores are almost always sold as shade plants, but in most garden conditions, they will perform their best if given some sun. Many species grow wild in open meadows with little shade.

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"Hellebores are widely grown in gardens for decorative purposes. They are particularly valued by gardeners for their winter and early spring flowering period; the plants are surprisingly frost-resistant and many are evergreen. Many species of hellebore have green or greenish-purple flowers and are of limited garden value, although Corsican hellebore (H. argutifolius), a robust plant with pale green, cup-shaped flowers and attractive leathery foliage, is widely grown.

Many species are poisonous. Despite names such as "Christmas rose" and "Lenten rose", hellebores are not closely related to the rose family (Rosaceae).

The so-called Christmas rose (H. niger), a traditional cottage garden favourite, bears its pure white flowers (which often age to pink) in the depths of winter; large-flowered cultivars are available, as are pink-flowered and double-flowered selections.

The most popular hellebores for garden use, however, are undoubtedly H. orientalis and its colourful hybrids (H. x hybridus). They flower in early spring, around the period of Lent, and are often known as Lenten hellebores, oriental hellebores, or Lenten roses. They are excellent for bringing early colour to shady herbaceous borders and areas between deciduous shrubs and under trees."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H...

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