- Author: Jenni Dodini
The narcissus came up, so I went around the fence to check on my Helleborus. It has started blooming too. It is one of the first to bloom every year.
I went online and also to the Sunset Western Garden Book for the information below. Wikipedia had the best and most numerous pictures of the varieties and hybrids. I also went onto GardeningKnowHow.com and the Missouri Botanical Garden sites. The rest of the sites were mostly selling the plants.
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Helleborus
Common names: Winter rose, Christmas rose, Lenten rose
There are about 20 different species of this evergreen, perennial flowering plant. There are also many hybrids, some with less closely related species. By and large, all the plants are poisonous. The plant originated in Europe and Asia with the greatest concentration being found in the Balkans. There are 2 atypical species, ozone from China and the other from the border area between Turkey and Syria.
The flowers vary in color from white to black, rarely yellow, and last a very long time, changing colors as they age. The flower has 5 petals which are actually sepals surrounding a ring of small nectaries (petals modified to hold nectar). The flowers emerge in the winter, sometimes through the snow, and into spring. The Lenten rose variety is so named because it blooms just before Lent. Obviously, they are frost resistant. They are a shade tolerant plants and are good under trees. A perk is that they require minimal care once they are established, will grow in dry, shallow and rocky soil and require minimal to regular watering depending upon species. They do like to be protected from the cold winter winds. Mine were a bit unhappy and needed more watering during our very hot days last summer. Mine are also in a pot which was sunken into the ground a bit, so I was not that surprised. They require feeding only once or twice a year and prefer a slightly alkaline soil that drains well and has been amended with plenty of organic matter. Once they are established, they do not like to be moved, and may take years to re-establish if they don't die. They tend to self sow and the young seedlings can be transplanted. If you try to grow them from seeds, plant them in the fall because they need a 60 day moist chilling period to germinate and may take 3 to 4 years to bloom.
I forgot to add that the foliage is a leathery deep green. If you are in an area where there are deer, they are not considered a deer delicacy.
The Helleborus has been used medicinally and in witchcraft as far back as Hippocrates and other ancients. The black and white varieties are the most toxic. The effects range from diarrhea to cardiac arrest. All the parts of the plant are considered toxic.
The Winter and Lenten rose varieties are the easiest to grow, and the one below, H orientalis, the Winter rose is quite happy in my yard. The easiest way to know what you are getting is to buy the plant in bloom. I got mine in the local big box store a couple years ago, so you may find one on the shelf if you are interested in one for your yard too.
I took this picture in the beginning of May last year.