Helleborus niger 'ADVENT STAR EARLY' hellebore, Christmas rose
Helleborus
Hellebore (Lenten rose) is not a new plant to Czech and Slovak gardens. I remember those flowering stems that surprisingly pushed through the snow in late winter and I kept asking grandma how come that a plant can flower while there is still snow on the ground. They are evergreen perennials whose flowers have an exceptional structure. What we see at first glance and like are actually large sepals that surround the crown of true petals – the corolla, which are most often yellow-green or exceptionally red. These true petals have taken on a tubular shape and bear nectar (nectaries). Helleborus niger is a typically European species found on the central and southern European slopes of the Alps and Apennines, from Switzerland to the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
Advent Star Early is a large-flowered hellebore variety from the breeding company Florensis. It is an improvement over of the previous variety Advent Star with a significant advantage – earlier blooming. Its pure white flowers open as early as November if the weather is nice, measure 8-10 cm in diameter, and develop a slight pink hue as they mature. It forms compact, lower clumps with short stems and a large number of flowers, which are adorned with typically yellow anthers in the centre. Flowering can continue during frost-free days until the end of winter. And since hellebore flowers are durable, they remain attractive long after the stamens fall. You can also bring them indoors before Christmas and use them as interior flowers to decorate not only the holiday table.
The stems are short, only about 10 cm high, upright, and the open flowers are not nodding but proudly face their admirers. The leaves are evergreen, palmate, dark green, and leathery. Although they are evergreen, they may look tired after the season, and it does no harm at all to prune them all off in the spring.
Hellebore likes heavy, evenly moist, neutral to alkaline, rich in humus soil in dappled shade or filtered sun. This hybrid will prefer at least half a day with direct sunlight. Fertilizing will increase flowering and help the leaves remain strong and nice throughout the winter. Grow it somewhere near your house entrance or close to the window you look out of frequently so that you can enjoy the plant when it starts flowering since at that time the weather outside is not yet ideal for walking around the garden. The flowers can cheer up a number of grey and dull days of late winter therefore thumbs up for hellebore! Harmful if eaten. Hardy to about -29 °C (USDA zone 5).
Last update 17-11-2024
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