There are few perennials that can rival the year round interest of hellebores...often called Christmas or Lenten Rose. These staples of the winter garden are among the most coveted of garden plants, yet they are still relatively unknown outside of plant enthusiast circles. Perhaps the fact that they aren't good mass market plants attributes to the fact that they will rarely be found at the lower end mass merchants.

Hellebores have long been grown in gardens, although originally for their medicinal properties. Hellebores are filled with alkaloid toxins and have long been used both as a poison and a purgative. Because of their toxicity, hellebores are consequently prized as "deer resistant" garden plants for areas with wildlife pressures.

Hellebores are primarily European natives. While naturally a full sun plant, hellebores make superb specimens for the woodland garden. In fact, they will thrive in the darkest garden conditions including at the base of black walnut trees.

As for drought and neglect tolerance, that story speaks for itself. Hellebores are sensitive, however to too poor drainage and too much moisture. Although H. orientalis hybrids are very forgiving, many of the other species are not so, and will quickly bite the dust if planted in a soggy site.

Each H. orientalis hybrid makes a clump to 2' wide by 15" tall of thick evergreen hand shaped leaves. In late winter, the 12" tall flower spikes emerge from the underground rhizome. As the flower spike tops the leaves (which flatten out in the winter), it branches, producing a cluster of silver dollar size flowers. Actually, what we call the flower are not petals, but a modified calyx. This accounts for the seeming longevity (3 months) of the "hellebore flowers"

The flower colors of the Helleborus orientalis hybrids are what enthrall plant collectors, as each one is dramatically different. The basic color range is from black purple to red purple, to white, pink, and even yellow. The patterns on the blooms add even more to the fun, with breeders working to add different colored speckles both to the center and the edge of the flowers.

Purchasing named varieties of hellebores has always been a difficult task for gardeners.  When a breeder would develop a nice variety, everyone would want a piece. While hellebores can be divided, the process is never going to be viable on a large commercial basis. This prompted both high prices, and unscrupulous nurserymen to sell seedlings as the "true cultivar". In fact, each seedling is different, and rarely does the flower color of the seedling match that of it's parent.