Hellebores a good choice for the garden

Heleborius has showy blooms and bright foliage. Photo by Cooperative Extension.

Heleborius flower. Photo from Cooperative Extension Service.

By Jean Gillooly

Master Gardener Volunteer

Hellebores are a genus of evergreen plants belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculacae).

These plants bloom in mid-winter to early spring before most other plants are showing flowers, but flowering may have been delayed by the harsh winter this year. Some flowering stems are just beginning to show in February.

The flowers have five sepals and prominent stamens as well as cup-like nectarines which are petals that hold nectar. The sepals last several months. Some of the flowers resemble roses but are not in the rose family.

The palmate, leathery leaves are divided into five to 11 leaflets which emerge from a central point and have toothed edges. The flowers bloom above the leaves.

Hellebores are recommended as shade plants, but a little sunlight is beneficial to the plants’ health.

There are 20 species of Helleborus. One of the better known ones is Christmas rose (H. niger), which has 5-inch white sepals that turn pink with age. A legend says that the Christmas rose sprouted from the snow from the tears of a young girl who had no gift for the Christ Child.

Lenten rose (H. orientalis), which blooms in early spring, bears clusters of purple, pink or even dark maroon sepals. Sometimes the outer surfaces are tinged with green. H. orientalis is used for producing hybrids (H.x hybridus). This is part of a group of auculescent hellebores, meaning with no visible stems above ground. Many hybrids are available with a large variety of colors and bloom size. They can be divided in late spring or early fall.

There are only four species of caulescent hellebores, which have visible stems above ground and are difficult to hybridize. They are short-lived but mature more quickly, sometimes blooming in their second spring. Stinking hellebore (H. foetidus) has lime green leaves and flowers. It grows to 2 feet and gives off an unpleasant odor when touched. H. lividis var. corsicus grows to 18 inches and produces 2-inch green, saucer-like flowers in clusters. It is native to the Mediterranean area.

All parts of all Hellebores are poisonous if ingested, particularly Black hellebore (Christmas rose) and H. lividis. Among other symptoms are swollen tongue and throat and cardiac problems. Keep children and pets away from these plants.

Hellebores are drought-tolerant after becoming established. They are advertised as “America’s No. 1 Deer Resistant Plant for Shade.”

Jean Gillooly is a Master Gardener volunteer with N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County.