Helleborus x ballardiae ('Coseh890') HGC MAESTRO^®

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. German nursery Heuger has been breeding Lenten roses since 1950’s. No wonder they are considered to be the top producers of these beautiful plants in Europe. Their Helleborus Gold Collection^® (HGC) is a trade mark for the best inventions in the field of hybrid hellebores.

Maestro^® hellebore is another from the ballardiae hybrids i.e. crossings of h.lividus and h.niger. They usually have marbled foliage and dusky coloured flowers. Maestro^® makes 4-5 cm wide flowers which open white and turn dusky pink, and mature to cloudy pink when all stamens have fallen off. Evergreen leaves are palmately divided, leathery, and almost lying on the ground taking up a larger area than other varieties. In warm winters flowering begins in late December (otherwise in January), and continues for about 3 months, in very cold winters flowers come out from early March. Patented as PP23,859 in 2013.

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 -27°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 30-11-2016