Pilchuck Pollinator

Only in the past few years have some growers started to sell hellebores by flower color. This is done either by divisions, where all the plants are identical, or by growing and flowering a large batch of seedlings and then sorting them by color. Obviously, the time involved in this process (2-3 years from seed to flower), the price is often out of reach. For a slightly less price, you can buy unflowered seedlings, which thanks to careful inbreeding, should have a higher percentage of colors similar to their parents.

Another of my favorite species is the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger. H. niger has darker green and much smoother leaves than the H. orientalis hybrids and begins flowering much earlier. For us, H. niger is usually in flower by late December or early January. The flowers in this species are pure white, and arise similar to the H. orientalis hybrids.

H. foetidus has very dark green leaves with long "fingers" These leaves clothe the 18-24" tall stems. As a background plant to hostas and ferns in the summer garden, H. foetidus is marvelous. Then as the perennials of summer go to sleep, the evergreen clumps of H. foetidus remain and become the focus of the winter garden. In early winter, the flowering stalks emerge, opening open around the first of the year with 1' tall spikes of green bell like flowers. These flowers remain attractive until early spring.

Thanks to gardeners in England, there are now many different forms of H. foetidus available. The most popular is H. foetidus 'Wester Flisk' with red stems and slatey green leaves. H. 'Green Giant' is much larger and can often reach 3' tall. H. foetidus 'Autumn Moon' is a form that we named from my friend John Elsley that consistently is in full flower in October. Other forms boast more cutleaf foliage, dark slatey black leaves, and a variety of other unique characteristics.

H. argutifolius is also a good garden plant. Making a 2' tall x 2' wide evergreen clump, it is adorned with very serrate trifoliate leaves. In late winter, it is topped with stalks of creamy light green flowers. The most tender of the caulescent species is also the most beautiful, H. lividus from Spain. The silver and green patterned leaves would make any gardener covet this gem. Although it has been hardy in our garden for 7 years, we are at the northernmost end of the range. For those a bit further north, try the hybrid H. sternii (H. argutifolius x H. lividus). This hybrid combines the beauty of H. lividus with the hardiness of H. argutifolius.

Hellebores are easy to propagate by seed. In fact, most folks just let the seed fall on the ground, and in a few years, you will have enough hellebores to spread through the neighborhood. I like the fact that the seedlings stay right around the base of the parent plant. This is particularly useful with H. foetidus which is often short lived (3-5 years), but by seeding in place, the plant will never leave your garden.

Hellebore seed are easy to sprout if they are planted fresh, but not if they are allowed to dry. When sowing the seed in pots, do so as soon as they are ripe, and keep the pots outdoors until Christmas, since the seed need a cold treatment to sprout. The seed pots can be brought indoors at this time and they will sprout immediately. If left outdoors, they will sprout in late winter.