Helleborus (Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose)
at Digging Dog

Including Helleborus x hybridus, Helleborus argutifolius, & Helleborus foetidus

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    

Corsican Hellebore

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
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Helleborus x 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
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Helleborus x 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
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Helleborus x hybridus ‘Mardi Gras Plum Shades’    

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
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Helleborus x hybridus ‘White Lady Spotted’    

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
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Helleborus x nigersmithii ‘Ivory Prince’    

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
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Helleborus ‘Splashdown Strain’    

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
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