CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

‘Penny’s Pink’ hybrid hellebore

I rarely profile a single plant, but I am so excited about ‘Penny’s Pink’ hybrid hellebore that I decided it deserved a post of its own.  And where do I start, the new leaves, the old leaves, the new flowers, the old flowers….they all have amazing ornamental value.  Read on to find out about what has been called “the most exciting new hellebore in years.”  All photos were taken of actual plants at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

Nursery News:  Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade.  The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas.  For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com.  Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

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The 3″ symmetrical, cup-shaped flowers are a lovely rosy pink with a prominent cluster of yellow stamens set off by chartreuse nectaries.

‘Penny’s Pink’ was hybridized by RD Plants in the UK and is named after famous British plantswoman Penelope Hobhouse.  It is probably a cross between hybrid hellebore and Helleborus x ballardiae, which is itself a cross between Christmas rose and Helleborus lividus.  The latter species gives ‘Penny’s Pink’ its burgundy overtones, marbled leaves, and distinctive pink flowers.

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Burgundy stems are topped by a fading flower on the right and a flower well past its prime on the left, both are beautiful.  Because the flowers are sterile, they last a long time.

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The backs of the flowers are as pretty as the front and deepen to a dark pink with age.

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The new leaves of ‘Penny’s Pink’ come out looking like pink fishnet stockings as one reviewer described them.

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The colors stop people in their tracks in my sales area.

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By June, the pink marbling has turned to lime-green, and the leaves are shiny, thick, and leathery.  You can see that the spent flowers still provide interest.

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I didn’t stock this hellebore until late May last year.  Based on the leaves alone, the plants were gone within a day and never made it to the open house sale.  No one visited without buying one.

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And here’s something amazing—this is one of last year’s leaves in my garden today.  After our horrendous winter, they still look beautiful, not something I can say about most plants or humans either.  I don’t need to tell you what my other hellebore leaves look like!

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Another “old” leaf photo of the whole plant from the top. 

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Five flower stalks loaded with buds recently emerged.  This plant, which I put in my garden last June, was the smallest of the 100 plants I sold.

‘Penny’s Pink’ is 14 to 18 inches tall and 20 to 23 inches wide.  It blooms at the same time as most other hellebores but for a longer period and grows in the same conditions: well-drained soil in a mostly shady to mostly sunny location.  Available now at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: Our first event is the Hellebore Extravaganza on Saturday, April 11, from 10 am to 3 pm.  However, you can stop by anytime by appointment to purchase hellebores.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

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