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THE HELLEBORES ARE COMING,
THE HELLEBORES ARE COMING
When American Nurseryman Editor Sally D. Benson first asked me
to write a 1500 word story about Hellebores, I told her that it
was tantamount to trying to read the complete works of
Shakespeare in one evening. Well, she said, "With all due
respect to the great bard, just give us a teasing taste for
these magical plants"
So here's a brief glimpse into a Genus of plants whose
popularity still hasn't peaked in the U.K. after 50 years and is
just beginning its run in the US.
Commonly referred to as Christmas Roses (Helleborus niger),
and Lenten Roses (Helleborus orientalis), Hellebores are
primarily native to Europe, with one recently discovered
exception, H. thibetanus from Sichuan Province in China.
Their taxonomic home is in the Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) family,
the same family as Paeonia, Clematis, Thalictrum, Trollius and
many other well known and wonderful garden plants.
They can be broken down into two basic groups, the "Caulescent"
types, meaning those whose foliar parts are borne on stems,
such as H. foetidus, H. argutifolius and H. lividus etc,
and the "Acaulescent" types whose foliage emanates from the
basal portion of the plant such as H. orientalis, H.
purpurescens etc.
With one exception (H. lividus), Hellebores can be grown
almost anywhere in the United States. Culture is simple. They
prefer moist, but not wet, rich, organic soil in full to light
shade. In areas where winter is severe and there is no reliable
snow cover, a mulch of shredded hardwood bark provides a warm
blanket. They are greedy feeders, and when using a timed
release fertilizer such as Osmocote etc, I recommend the highest
range. A Ph 5.5-7.0 is fine.
Hellebores have relatively few pest or disease problems. In some
areas, they may be prone to an attack of Aphids, but the usual
remedies will take care of this problem. An occasional bout with
Botrytis which can be caused by poor air circulation in a cool
damp area can be cured with Copper Sulphate, a relatively
innocuous fungicide.
In these West Virginia Mountains, where we have large deer
populations, Hellebores are the one plant that they turn their
noses up at.
Hellebores are wonderful companion plants for Galanthus
(Snowdrops), Primula (Primroses), Tiarella (Foam Flowers),
Epimediums (Barrenwort), Pulmonaria (Lungwort), and...... well
just about anything that pleases you.
It's hard to find a more captivating, easy to grow plant. Even
if they never flowered, these garden gems would be a
worthwhile addition to virtually any garden. But flower they do
and in brilliant array of colors shapes and forms.
The so called "Orientalis Hybrids", which, to be taxonomically
correct are now being referred to as Helleborus x hybridus
are the result of generations of crosses between such species as
H. purpurescens, H. torquatus, H. orientalis, H. atrorubens
et al. They have tough, leathery, textured palmate foliage that
is evergreen in most climates and 1 1/2"- 3" flowers that start
in March and last into May. The color of the petals, which are
really sepals, ranges from a mauve pink to an almost blackish
purple with every imaginable color in between including pure
white, yellow and green.
There are many spotted forms which show the influence of H.
orientalis ssp guttatus in their heritage. You can expect a
12" to 18" tall clump about 18" to 24" in diameter in a few
years.
These large, colorful flowers droop down on a 45 degree angle.
There is a natural explanation for this if you consider the
weather in late Spring.The drooping habit is a survival
mechanism and the plants natural defense against snow, sleet
and rain that kills pollen grains which would prevent
pollination.
A really neat way to display the flowers is to cut them with
about an inch of stem and float them in a bowl of water. They
can last for weeks as they slowly fade into completely different
colors.
Years of breeding in the U.K. and Germany have led to several
named H x hybridus cultivars, most of which are
unavailable even in those countries, as the Hellebore is a very
slow clump forming plant and not very generous in giving up as
many divisions as it would take to satisfy demand. In light of
this, most breeders are now offering "Strains". A strain is an
unflowered seedling of a particular set of parents. In
Hellebores, most strains usually resemble the better qualities
of their parents. To date, tissue culture has proven
disappointing in speeding up the propagation process, but there
is hope for the future.
Hybridizing your own Hellebores is simple and fun. They are one
of the easiest plants to breed. Take a paint brush or dark pipe
cleaner and dab it onto the open anthers of one plant and touch
the pollen grains to the sticky stigma of another. That's all
there is to it. Try it with two plants that have different
merits such as color, shape, size etc. Keep good records of
your crosses. Use cotton drawstring bags weighted with a marble
or two to prevent the seeds from popping open and spilling onto
the ground.
Hellebores are very easy to grow from seed. The attractive
flowers produce copious amounts of pollen during their long
flowering season and you can rest assured that no matter how
inclement the weather, there will be at least a few days that
the bees are flying about spreading pollen from plant to plant.
The attractive seed pods swell rapidly as the weather warms and
then one day without prior notice, pop open spilling their cargo
of plump black seeds all over the ground. These seeds contain
immature embryos that will mature in the moist warm leaf litter
under the parent plant. As the weather turns colder the seeds
will germinate, usually in late December or early January. It
takes 2-4 years before you see your first flowers, what a great
way to learn patience and discipline.
Hellebores can also be propagated by division. Best time of year
is early Spring or late Autumn. Dig or unpot the plants and hose
off all of the soil so that you can see where to make your cuts.
Use a sharp knife that has been dipped in alcohol and then
rinsed in water. Try to leave at least two buds on each rhizome.
Some plants may not flower in the year following division, but
don't be concerned as they need that period to recover from
their surgery.
Helleborus foetidus, whose name means foul odor has the
dubious common name of "Stinking Hellebore". That' s a bad rap,
as the delicate, lacy foliage has an unusual but unobjectionable
scent. Several cultivars exist, the most famous is H. 'Wester
Flisk'. This plant was discovered in the garden of Mrs. Mamie
Walker of Newburgh, Scotland in the early 70's. Its calling card
is the brilliant red stem and the contrast of the green leaf
petioles as they clasp it.
Helleborus niger is a white flowered species. Commonly
referred to as the "Christmas Rose" as its frequently in bloom
during the holiday season. The specific epithet, niger refers to
its black roots. This is probably the hardiest of all the
species and can most likely survive into zone 3. There are
several cultivars and strains of H. niger, the most well know
being 'Potters Wheel' an exceptionally large flowering strain,
with flowers of up to 5". This strain was developed during the
50's at Washfield Nursery in Kent, England.
Helleborus argutifolius, formerly known as H. lividus
corsicus has coarse, toothed, arrow shaped foliage. It is
slightly less hardy than H x hybridus and should be
given some extra protection outside of zone 6. It also requires
better drainage. In 1930's Sir Frederick Stern crossed this
species with Helleborus lividus. H. lividus is
extremely tender even in most of the U.K. The cross brought some
of the best traits of both parents into a interspecific hybrid
seed strain known as H. x sternii. The resulting plants have the
hardiness from H. argutifolius and the lovely silvery markings
of H. lividus. I can't remember a single garden that I've
visited that wouldn't benefit from the addition of a Hellebore
or few.
ENJOY!!!!
Further Reading
Hellebores, Brian Matthews, Alpine Garden Society
Publications, Woking UK 1989. This is the most complete
taxonomic reference on the Genus. Its loaded with historical
information and is definitely for the serious Hellebore fancier.
Unfortunately it is currently out of print. The Alpine Garden
Society is planning a revision and reprint soon. I will announce
the new publication date as soon as I know it.
Gardeners Guide to Growing Hellebores, Rice & Strangman,
Timber Press, Portland OR 1993 More of a book for the
grower-collector, still has a lot of taxonomic information but
more emphasis on growing and culture. Loaded with lots of
great color photos by that master photographer Roger Phillips.
Includes information and photographs on hybridization.
Hellebores, Marlene Ahlburg, Batsford, London UK 1993
Hellebores from a continental European perspective. This is a
translation from Marlene's 1989 German language book. It has a
good bit of photographs and includes a descriptive taxonomic
text as well.
Barry Glick aka Glicksterus maximus aka The Cyber-Plantsman
Sunshine Farm & Gardens
HC 67 Box 539 B
Renick WV 24966 USA
304-497-2208
FAX-497-2698
EMAIL - barry@sunfarm.com
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