Idaho Helleborus Company
Bringing Beauty to your Garden
About
Hellebores are prized as being the harbingers of Spring by displaying beautiful blooms from late Winter into Spring. These rare perennials plants are tough, cold-hardy, low maintenance, deer and rabbit resistant, and easy to grow. Hellebores feature evergreen foliage which remains handsome year-round. Helleborus, of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), is composed of about 20 species of perennial herbs native to Europe and Asia, including Lenten rose (H. Orientalis), stinking hellebore, or bear’s foot (H. Foetidus), black hellebore, or Christmas rose (H. niger); and green hellebore (H. Viridis). Typically, the plants are nearly stemless, with thick roots and long-stalked, divided leaves. The showy flowers, with five petal-like sepals, are borne above the foliage.
Most of the Hellebores offered on this site belong to the H. Orientalis species. They are commonly called Lenten Roses, Christmas Roses, or Hellebores. This specie has numerous hybrid selections and you can find plants that I have available under the plant section on this site. The flower of this species nods its face and has petaloid sepals. The leaves are large, evergreen, and stiff. They are palmated and divided into many leaflets. The flower centers have numerous stamens outlined by tubular nectaries or fleshy beaked capsules. The 'Ice N Roses' series is a hybrid cultivar of the Gold Series Helleborus with flowers ranging from pinks to greens to reds. These plants bloom in the early spring and have a long bloom season.
Attributes of Hellebores are:
GENUS: Helleborus
FAMILY: Ranunculaceae
Life Cycle: Perennial
Country of origin: Europe, Asia, and Morocco
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Woody plant leaf characteristic: Broadleaf evergreen
Flower Bloom Time: Winter to early Spring
Beauty is an attribute of the Soul and the beauty of flowers nourishes the Soul.
Characteristics:
Height: 18.0-24.0 Inches
Spread: 18.0-24.0 Inches
Hardiness Zones: 4,5,6,7,8,9
Flower Color: Numerous - White, Yellow, Green, to Red depending on the species
Foliage Color: Green shades
Sunlight: Part Shade (4-6 hrs. Direct Sun) and can tolerate full Shade (< 4 hrs. Direct Sun).
Water Requirements: Low to Average Water Needs
Soil Quality: Average Soil Quality to Fertile Soil Quality
Soil Chemistry: Neutral Soil
Bloom time: Late Winter to Mid Spring
Attracts Wings: Bee Friendly
Critter Resistant: Deer and Rabbit Resistant
Seasonal Interest: Evergreen
Growth Rate: Slow
Garden Style: Patio Container, Eclectic, and Woodland Shade
Origin: Not Native to North America – origin Europe and Asia
WARNING: Hellebores are poisonous. Do not consume any part of the plant!
Helleborus Information
Planting instructions:
Hellebores are enjoyable to grow because they are low-maintenance and disease and pest-free. Plant them at crown level. In the Spring simply trim back last year's foliage. These beautiful and rare plants can adapt to almost any growing conditions. They prefer rich, moist, organic soil, but they will also grow in clay or sandy soil. Once the plant is established, it can even tolerate short periods of drought. They also tolerate soil pH that ranges anywhere from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.
Hellebores are shade plants that need to be protected from the hot afternoon sun. They will grow in full shade under large deciduous trees as long as they receive full sun from winter to spring before the trees get their leaves. The winter sun helps bloom setting.
Mulch Hellebores heavily in the Fall. New seedlings will grow in this mulch come spring and can then be transplanted elsewhere in the garden.
WARNING: Hellebores are poisonous. Do not consume any part of the plant!
