Helleborus 'WINTER MOONBEAM'

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. These evergreen perennials are still very popular, mainly thanks to newly hybridized varieties with fantastic flowers.

Winter Moonbeam is an English variety of hellebore. It is sensational in many aspects offering striking foliage, beautiful flowers, and excellent hardiness. Its leathery leaves are very large, composed of 3-6 broadly elliptic leaflets. They are deep green with silvery-grey marbling and serrated margins. Stalks are purple red, same as the stems atop which appear flowers. They come out from warmer days of late winter into early spring. Their colour is a mixture of creamy white, pale green and soft pink, gradually changing to pale red as they mature. The centres are decorated with a green crown and white stamens.

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! Hardy to min. -27°C (USDA zone 5), possibly a few degrees lower.

Last update 13-04-2015