digging dog nursery mendocino coast   garden perennials from digging dog nursery

Helleborus (Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose)
at Digging Dog

Including Helleborus x hybridus, Helleborus argutifolius, & Helleborus foetidus

Helleborus

Helleborus

Christmas Rose/Lenten Rose

Stories about this genus are countless. In medieval times, it was considered a weapon against witches, madness and evil spirits. Hellebores deserve a place in every garden, not only because of their supposed power, but because they bloom for a long time, early in winter, when the weather is cool and most other flowers are still dormant.

They like moist, loamy soil with lime and leaf mold. We like them as ground covers for deciduous shrubs, conifers, or broad-leafed evergreens, and when possible plant them in an elevated spot to admire their nodding flowers.

Helleborus argutifolius  full sun  partial shade
Corsican Hellebore
Helleborus argutifolius

This native of Corsica and Sardinia is one of the largest Hellebores, with big racemes of light green, cup-shaped flowers nodding well above gray-green foliage. The sturdy leaves of this bushy, subshrublike plant have veins of ivory and small teeth that turn red with age. Try it as a foil for Omphalodes ‘Cherry Ingram’ and Pulmonarias.

Blooms February–April.

Size: 18"–2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Helleborus argutifolius (p-0087)
Each $8.75
Add to Cart

Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’  full sun  partial shade  shade lover
Helleborus ballardiae HGC Pink Frost

An exciting new cultivar from The Helleborus Gold Collection, hybridized by German plantsman, Josef Heuger, ‘Pink Frost’ is esteemed for its captivating floriferous display and its robust versatile bearing. A multicolored effect is created as a legion of burgundy buds unfurl antique-toned pink petals, which encompass blonde clustered stamens, and eventually mature to a deeper rosy red.

Forging a silver dappled evergreen clump of thick, small-toothed, red-petioled leaves, this Helleborus lividus and Helleborus niger progeny is tailor-made for container culture and obliges a wide range of light conditions including deep shade, full sun and everything in between. (USPPP)

Blooms January – March.

Size: 9"–15" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’ (P-1618)
Each $11.00
Add to Cart

Helleborus x hybridus  full sun  partial shade
Helleborus hybridus

Perhaps one of the finest low growing, early flowering plants, this Helleborus is easy to grow, requiring only shade and some moisture. The nodding flowers, which range in color from blush white to plum, are usually spotted on the inside with crimson and maroon. Lustrous and dark green, the 12 in. wide evergreen leaves are divided into seven to nine segments.

Blooms January–April.

Size: 18" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.


Helleborus x hybridus (p-0243)
Each $8.50
Add to Cart

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Mardi Gras Plum Shades’  full sun  partial shade

A prized outcome from horticulturalist Charles Price’s complex breeding program, this new Hellebore offers darkly alluring cup-shaped and up-facing flowers, which boast smoky plum hues with bluish overtones and sprightly champagne-colored stamens. Broad dark green leaves are divided into seven to nine segments and retain their lustrous allure throughout the year.

Blooms January–March.

Size: 15"–18" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Mardi Gras Plum Shades’ (P-1725)
Each $10.75
Add to Cart

Helleborus x hybridus ‘White Lady Spotted’  full sun  partial shade

This elegant empress will take command of your winter garden. Warmed by a maroon freckled center and distinctively showcased against a dark green, thick-leafed evergreen base, each beautiful rounded white blossom appears to be sculpted from snow. Her glorious bearing is the result of Germany’s Gisela Schmiemann’s outstanding Hellebore breeding program.

Blooms January–April.

Size: 9"–18" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Helleborus x hybridus ‘White Lady Spotted’ (p-1340)
Each $10.75
Add to Cart

Helleborus x nigersmithii ‘Ivory Prince’  full sun  partial shade

Also known as Helleborus x nigersmithii ‘Walhelivor’.

With dark dusky pink buds and outward facing, easy-to-view ivory-petaled blooms, this vigorous Lenten Rose is aptly named. Innovated by the truly gifted English breeder David Tristram, and vegetatively propagated, ‘Ivory Prince’s exquisite flowers reveal a subtle infusion of colors, from soft green and antique rose on the inside to earthy plum hues on the exterior. Sturdy wine-tinted stems and princely, deep green leatherlike foliage marked by light prominent veining and toothed margins maintain a pleasing evergreen presence all year long.(PPAF)

Blooms March–April.

Size: 12" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Helleborus x nigersmithii ‘Ivory Prince’ (p-1325)
Each $13.00
Add to Cart

Helleborus ‘Splashdown Strain’  full sun  partial shade

Working magic on new Hellebore strains, Marietta O’Bryne has outdone herself with this gorgeous introduction. Fanciful mostly green nectaries are encompassed by overlapping, rounded alabaster-colored petals, artfully decorated with bold streaks, stipples and blotches in red, violet and maroon shades. Poised atop a shiny bed of dark green leaves, the splendid, light-edged flowers should be showcased right up front.

Blooms January – April.

Size: 14" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Helleborus ‘Splashdown Strain’ (P-1525)
Each $15.00
Add to Cart



Latest News

Great Gifts for Valentines Day!

Looking for great gifts for Valentines Day? Here are Perennials that will provide winter color and interest to a container or landscape, and will flourish in a range of zones across the country.

San Francisco Flower and Garden Show

March 21st to 25th at the San Mateo Event Center

Green living at its best – 20 gorgeous display gardens, container gardens, edible gardens and new products designed to help Planet Earth thrive. Edible gardening workshops, cooking demonstrations, seminars on design and horticulture.

Customer Comment:

“Ordered a selection of plants from Digging Dog earlier this year: campanula, ajuga, columbine, etc. All looked great, with healthy root systems. They've all settled in well and are thriving. I will order from them again.”

~Kim in California


view our comments page

view Digging Dog's comments with Dave’s Garden (The Garden Watchdog)

top of page