CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

Hellebores are wonderful–their leaves are evergreen, their flowers are striking, they bloom in winter, their form is elegant, and deer don’t touch them. I offer both hybrid hellebores and species hellebores.  Although the hybrids are better known, I find the species very exciting with an amazing variety of flowers and foliage.  Judge for yourself at my Hellebore Extravaganza Sale on Saturday, March 24, 10 am to 3 pm, when you see my display beds in all their glory!!!  Look for an email offering my fifth annual hellebore seminars.

CULTURE: Hellebores are some of the toughest plants in my garden, thriving in every location from sun to full shade (even cracks in the pavement) as long as they are well-drained, but if you want to spoil them use plenty of organic matter.

HYBRID HELLEBORES: Their large, nodding white, cream, yellow, pink, red, bluish, purple, slate, black, lime-green, or spotted flowers opening in February and remaining ornamental for many months make the hybrids the showiest and most popular of the hellebores. Their unique multi-part leaves are shiny dark wintergreen and last until new growth in spring.  They are very easy to grow.  I planted mine by the front steps so the early flowers can brighten cold winter days.  One of the most noticed plants in my garden. No wonder the Perennial Plant Association chose them as the 2005 Perennial Plant of the Year

Singles:

“Carolyn’s Select”: my own mature, blooming plants, selected by color, priced by quality and size.

“Lady Series”: plants grown from seed selected by flower color, 90% true to color, ‘Blue Lady, Blue Metallic Lady, Picotee Lady, Pink Lady, Red Lady, White Lady, White Spotted Lady, & Yellow Lady’.

New ‘Gold Finch’, rounded petals of buttery yellow spotted with red flecks.

New ‘Painted Bunting’, white flowers with a bold burgundy red central star, radiating red veins, and red picotee edge.

New ‘Phoenix’, apple green flowers edged in burgundy and with burgundy center.

New ‘Pink Tea Cup’, early-blooming soft blush pink flowers reminiscent of cherry blossoms.

New ‘Raspberry Mousse’, two-tone pale rose flowers with creamy white veins, dark rose edges and reverse.

New “Black”, striking near black flowers with a perfect rounded shape.

New “Slate”, slate gray petals with a metallic sheen, burgundy highlights in center and veins, very desirable.

New ‘Velvet Lips’, bright wine-red flowers with a soft creamy-yellow center and a shiny darker reverse.

Doubles:

‘Double Integrity’, large double white flowers.

New “Double Purple”, dark purple-black flowers.

New “Double Rose ”, dark rose flowers.

New ‘Elegance White’, white with bold purple-red spots.

New ‘Phoebe’, gorgeous pink peony-like flowers dusted with red freckles.

 

SPECIES HELLEBORES: The hybrids are only part of the hellebore story—there are 15 species hellebores (plus their crosses), many of which are highly desirable plants.  Preorders are recommended.

Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore), 18-24”, large clusters of exotic, pale green and yellow flowers in spring; beautiful, wintergreen foliage is glossy gray and marbled with ivory; distinctive fringe surrounds the stiff, three-part leaves; site to protect from winter winds; takes sun.

H. x ballardiae, 12-15”, a cross between Christmas rose and H. lividus, vegetatively propagated; copious large, outward-facing, flowers December to March:

New x b. ‘Cinnamon Snow’, pink buds open to creamy white flowers suffused with warm rose and cinnamon, dark cinnamon rose petal reverse, shiny dark green foliage with ruby red stems.

x b. ‘Pink Frost’, burgundy buds open to outward facing soft pink blooms that darken to deep pink with age, blue-green silver-marbled leaves with red veins and stems.

 

H. cyclophyllus (Grecian Hellebore), 12-15”, fragrant flowers bloom in abundance in late winter and are a showy golden green, sold in bloom.

 

H. dumetorum, 8-12”, wonderful smaller hellebore with starry green flowers and narrow feathery leaves, sold in bloom.

H. dumetorum subsp. atrorubens, 12-15”, from Arrowhead Alpines, dark rose flowers, sold in bloom.

 

H. x ericsmithii ‘Silvermoon’, 15-18”, the best characteristics of three species (Corsican, Christmas rose, and H. lividus); red stems, silvery marbled leaves, and large, outward-facing, pink-tinged, creamy white flowers aging to dusky rose from mid-January through March make this a rare and desirable cross, vegetatively propagated, vigorous in the garden.

 

H. foetidus (Bearsfoot Hellebore), 18-24”, one of the most unusual and desirable plants in my garden; spidery, completely wintergreen leaves are topped by showy pale green flower buds in November; chartreuse buds and then flowers are ornamental throughout winter and on into May; has the effect of a miniature rhododendron in the garden!

 

Helleborus x ‘Ivory Prince’:  vigorous species cross (Christmas rose, H. x nigercors, and H. x ericsmithii) with gorgeous dusty-rose buds from January to March followed by beautiful outward-facing ivory flowers over silver-marked leaves with burgundy highlights—be sure to see it in my garden.

 

H. multifidus (Lacy Hellebore), 15”, toothed leaves cut into many segments, creating a lovely, lacy effect; attractive yellow-green flowers, sold in bloom.

H. niger (Christmas Rose), 12”, large white, outward-facing blooms and blue-green 5-part leaves:

New n. ‘Double Fantasy’, this double Christmas rose is so rare that I have only seen it once, but now, thanks to a tissue culture nursery in Japan, you can add this gorgeous, pure white, double-flowered hellebore to your winter garden; the blooms on this outward-facing, profusely flowering cultivar are beautifully set off by the dark, bluish green leaves in late winter.

n. ‘Jacob’, the earliest to flower of my Christmas roses beginning in early November and lasting until May, neat compact habit.

New n. ‘Josef Lemper’, flowers shortly after ‘Jacob’ in mid-November, a larger plant with larger flowers.

n. ‘Praecox’, multitude of bright white outward-facing flowers starting in January, vigorous and very floriferous cultivar.

H. x nigercors, a cross between Christmas rose and Corsican hellebore; vegetatively propagated; copious large, outward-facing, white flowers:

x n. ‘Honeyhill Joy’, 12”, honey-colored flowers and unusually handsome, glossy, dark green leaves.

x n. ‘Green Corsican’, 18”, creamy white flowers aging to a lovely green, gold-veined leaves, outstanding in my garden.

 

H. odorus (Fragrant Hellebore), 18”, fragrant, lime-green flowers in late winter and stiff, silvery leaves, sold in bloom.

 

H. orientalis subsp. abchasicus (Lenten Rose), 18”, this is the true Lenten rose, not a hybrid; subspecies characterized by red-tinted flowers often spotted with purple nectaries, very rare, sold in bloom.

 

H. purpurascens (Purple Hellebore), 12”, gorgeous cup-shaped flowers of smoky plum, very early blooming, deciduous.

New H. x ‘Snow White’ (aka ‘Snow Bunting’), the Yokoyama nursery in Japan has achieved the first ever cross between Christmas rose and hybrid hellebores to produce this gorgeous early-blooming pure white hellebore with large, flat, outward-facing flowers; easy to grow like all the hybrids but easy to see the flowers too!

H. viridis (Green Hellebore), 12”, earliest and longest flowering hellebore with true green flowers, sold in bloom.