Helleborus 'Rd09' PIPPA'S PURPLE hellebore, Lenten rose
Helleborus
The genus Helleborus comprises roughly twenty species of perennial plants distributed mainly across Europe and western Asia, especially in the mountainous and sub‑montane regions of the Balkans, the Alps and the Apennines. Direct fossil evidence is lacking, but genetic relationships and present‑day distribution point to a very ancient origin, probably reaching deep into the Tertiary. Hellebores were already known to classical physicians, as shown by the writings of Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder, who used them as drastic medicinal remedies. This is reflected in the Greek etymology of the name, most often interpreted as a combination of helein (to kill) and bora (a deadly food). It refers to the plant’s highly poisonous properties, valued in antiquity as powerful purgatives but easily fatal when used without expertise. The genus received its modern name and place in botany in the mid‑18th century thanks to Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), who described it in 1753 in Species Plantarum. Hellebores are no novelty in Czech and Slovak gardens either; our grandmothers already enjoyed their flowers in winter and early spring. The only thing that has changed since then are the cultivars and colours, which are ever more numerous and increasingly beautiful. They are evergreen perennials with a remarkably structured flower. The “petals” we see at first glance, white or coloured, are in fact enlarged sepals surrounding a ring of true petals – the corolla segments, usually periwinkle green and occasionally red, which have become tubular and bear the nectaries.
PIPPA’S PURPLE hellebore boasts 6-7 cm wide, single, enchanting flowers composed of 5 rounded, overlapping petals. They are burnt pink with a prominent deep purple pink freckles which disappear towards the margins. Their centres are decorated with a chartreuse crown and a small bunch of creamy white stamens. The stems are deep maroon and reach about 30 cm in height. Blooming begins from the first frost-free days of the second half of winter, and new buds are formed for more than a month keeping the clump pretty with flowers for almost three months. Flowers are slightly nodding like bellflowers.
Apart from beautiful flowers, Lenten rose hybrids in the Rodney Davey Marbled Group by Rodney Davey and Lynda Windsor from Devon, England are renowned for handsome foliage. The leaves of PIPPA’S PURPLE are evergreen, leathery, highly glossy, deep with light green marbling, and palmately divided into usually 3 large, broadly ovate leaflets with serrated margins. If they are exhausted and unsightly after the growing season you can remove them just before stems with new flower buds emerge. It was launched in 2014 and is protected by the following patents: EU 50872 (Europe – 2016) and PP27121 (USA – 2016).
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 19-02-2024
