Helleborus argutifolius

Hellebore (Lenten rose) is not a new plant in 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. These evergreen perennials are still very popular, mainly thanks to newly hybridized varieties with fantastic flowers.

Corsican hellebore is a special plant with deeply toothed margins on light green, leathery leaves. They are evergreen but in regions with cold and long winters they may die back in mid-winter and only flower stems rise up from January till March producing yellow-green flowers. This hellebore is the tallest of the species growing up to 1.5m in Corsica and Sardinia. In our climate it makes it just above knee level.

Grow it on a place sheltered from all winter sun and most summer sunlight. Hellebore likes heavy, evenly moist, neutral to alkaline soil in dappled shade or filtered sun. Fertilizing will increase flowering and help the leaves remain strong and nice throughout the winter. This one is short-lived, in about 4 years the mother plant dies and new seedlings around take over. 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! Hardy to about -23°C (USDA zone 6).

Last update 04-01-2012