Few genera have gone through the incredible upgrade of flowers, foliage, and performance like hellebores have in the last 20 years. I began growing them in the early 1990s in my Zone 4b garden in southern Minnesota. While they provided spring interest, they weren’t very attention-grabbing among a sea of spring ephemerals competing for my attention. It wasn’t until I moved to Zone 6 in Michigan that I became truly smitten with hellebores and fully experienced what they can add to the late-winter and early-spring garden. In climates with long, gradual springs or mild winters, they can come into flower in January and continue for months, with cool temperatures extending their bloom.
Most species of hellebores have flowers that face downward, forming an umbrella over the pollen. While this trait serves a purpose to keep pollen dry and viable, it also obscures the lovely spring blooms. Exceptions to this include black hellebore (H. niger) and fragrant hellebore (H. odorus), which have more side-facing flowers, an important trait that can be passed onto their hybrids. Newer forms of hellebores have been selected for increased hybrid vigor, better propagation, interesting foliage, and more numerous and larger blossoms. While most older varieties have green or pink single flowers, modern hybrids have incredible color diversity ranging from black, slate gray, yellow, red, pink, green, and pure white, sometimes with spotted or multicolored sepals. These blooms can be single, fully double, or in between.
With all this newfound diversity, hellebores are now one of the most dynamic spring plants. The following are some of my top newer varieties, all with excellent improvements.
At a glance: Helleborus spp. and cvs.
Zones: 4–9 Size: 1 to 2½ feet tall and wide
Conditions: Partial shade; moist, well-drained, sandy soil. If your exposure grows good hostas (Hosta spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8), it will grow great hellebores. Because the primary growth spurt is in early spring and autumn, they can tolerate less moisture than hostas during the summer months, making them perfect to plant under the canopy of deciduous trees. Hellebores grow best with a neutral soil pH of 7 or one that’s slightly alkaline.
Habit: Clump-forming, with plants growing from a central crown and developing into a compact mound. Most send up flower stems in late winter or early spring. After flowering, plants produce a flush of thick, leathery evergreen leaves that will persist until the following spring.
Care tips: Hellebores benefit from regular watering during extended dry periods. Mulching in fall helps conserve moisture and protect roots in winter. Unsightly foliage can be removed in late winter before new leaves emerge.
Propagation: H. × hybridus and H. niger varieties will self-seed if pollinated and if the soil is favorable for germination. To prevent this, spent flowers can be removed. Interspecific hybrids are sterile. Plants may be divided in spring after blooming or in fall.
Native range: Europe and Asia, with most species native to the Balkan region
Improved Performance on a Classic Look Sets These Varieties Apart
Madame Lemonnier®
A chance hybrid of black hellebore and hybrid hellebore (H. × hybridus), Madame Lemonnier® hellebore (H. ‘Lem 100’) is a member of the popular Helleborus Gold Collection® series (HGC®). It has clear, medium-pink single flowers that transition to a dusky rose before turning green; they are slightly cupped and face sideways. This selection is a vigorous grower, and while the plant itself is relatively compact at 1 to 1½ feet tall and wide, the blooms are very large, sometimes measuring 3 to 4 inches across. With how floriferous this beauty is, it truly stands out from the crowd.
Cheryl’s Shine®
The FrostKiss® series of hellebores is from the fantastic breeding work of Rodney Davey and Lynda Winsdor of the United Kingdom. These H. × iburgensis hybrids bring hellebore genetics to the next level by combining the best foliage types and flower forms of three parents. Cheryl’s Shine® (H. ‘EPB 31’) features white flowers with just a touch of pink when they first open on plants that can reach 1½ feet tall and 2½ feet wide. As the flowers mature, they take on more pink overtones before transitioning to green. To top it all off, the large leaves have a network of lighter-colored veins.
Bayli’s Blush®
Also from this series, Bayli’s Blush® (H. ‘Rd06’), which achieves a similar size as Cheryl’s Shine®, has perhaps shown the most vigor of any of the pink types I have grown. Multitudes of ivory-green flowers covered by a light pink wash smother the plants; this coloration is lighter than many other pink hellebores. These blooms are contrasted by dark burgundy stems and large leaves, which have a wide array of intricate white veins. All of the FrostKiss® selections are sterile, with side-facing flowers and attractive veined foliage, and are also very early to flower.
‘Walberton’s Rosemary’
‘Walberton’s Rosemary’ (H. ‘Walberton’s Rosemary’ syn. H. ‘Walhero’) is a slightly older interspecific hybrid, one of the first commercially available clones of black hellebore and hybrid hellebore. Growing 1 to 2 feet tall and wide, it has very large side-facing flowers like black hellebore and is usually the first hellebore hybrid to bloom in my garden. The rose pink color is stronger than those from the FrostKiss® series and has a uniform shade on the front and back of the sepals, which does not transition as it ages. Although it has fewer flowers per stem, they are a decent size and larger than many other hybrids, held above dark green foliage.
Unusual Cultivars Show the Best of Modern Breeding
‘Mother of the Bride’
The Wedding Party® series of hellebores represents years of hand-pollinating to achieve fully double-flowered hellebores with strong colors on the back as well as the front of the sepals. These seed-strain varieties sport colors and forms not available in many of the other hybrids. ‘Mother of the Bride’ (H. ‘Mother of the Bride’) has double peach flowers with a strong and vibrant color on plants that reach 1½ to 2 feet tall and wide. Darker dots decorate the inside of the sepals.
‘Dark and Handsome’
‘Dark and Handsome’ (H. ‘Dark and Handsome’) has double flowers that approach near black, contrasting well with its lighter-colored foliage, petals, and stamens. This cultivar will reach a similar size to ‘Mother of the Bride’ and has a strong growth habit. It combines well with yellow-foliaged plants like ‘Everillo’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’, Zones 5–9).
‘California Dreaming’
‘California Dreaming’ hellebore (H. ‘California Dreaming’) is from the Honeymoon® series, featuring single-flowered plants that have been bred and selected for exceptional garden performance, vigor, strong color on the back of the sepals, and side-facing flowers. This cultivar has lovely, clear, and unspotted yellow blossoms growing 3 inches across that really brighten up the spring garden. Plant it next to a dark plant like black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, Zones 6–9) for a weak-knee moment. This hellebore will reach 1½ to 2 feet tall and wide.
‘Snowbells’
A seed strain of a semidouble black hellebore variety, ‘Snowbells’ hellebore (H. niger ‘Snowbells’) has bright white blooms that are naturally side facing rather than downward facing, to let you enjoy their full impact. They have five large sepals and a central boss of smaller petaloids for a semidouble look. The dark green, lobed foliage is attractive all season long. Because this is a black hellebore cultivar, it will be one of the first plants to bloom in spring.
‘Winterbells’
‘Winterbells’ hellebore (H. ‘Winterbells’) is a rare and unique interspecific cross between the well-known stinking hellebore (H. foetidus) and black hellebore. More graceful and interesting than showy, I value this plant for its early and persistent floral show of clusters of dainty, bell-shaped flowers that open ivory white and mature to green. The palmate leaves are comprised of narrow leaflets like those of stinking hellebore, and the flower stems are a dark burgundy. It is sterile and will not self-sow. Both ‘Snowbells’ and ‘Winterbells’ are smaller than the interspecific hybrids, reaching 10 to 15 inches tall and wide.
Tuck these plants between spring bulbs and other evergreen perennials on a sloping hill for a charming vignette that can be enjoyed up close. These new faces on an old favorite are welcome harbingers of spring.
How to Prune Hellebores
The foliage of hellebores is evergreen. I prefer to enjoy the glossy green leaves as long as possible throughout fall and early winter. In western Michigan, when the snow melts and the temperatures warm, I have a short window of time to remove the previous year’s foliage before new growth emerges. But how you clean up hellebores may depend on the harshness of your winter season:
In warmer zones (Zones 7–9) with mild winters, the foliage may still look attractive and could be left on the plant unless it appears diseased.
In colder areas (Zones 4–6), some leaves may become windburned and turn brown below the snow line (photo, above) and are best removed for aesthetic reasons. If the entire plant looks bad at the end of winter, all foliage may be cut back, before new leaves and flowers emerge, with sharp pruners (photo, right).
How to Deal with Hellebore Pests and Diseases
Hellebores are naturally resistant to deer and rabbit browsing, and few insect pests or diseases bother them. They are also more drought resistant than ferns and hostas when growing in the shade of large trees. While they are relatively resilient, they can be affected by a few problems, especially if growing conditions are not ideal. Here’s how to spot and handle some potential issues:
1. Downy Mildew
Symptoms: Yellowing spots on the top of leaves, which may turn red or black over time, and powdery spores on the undersides. This is more common in greenhouse production than in the garden.
Prevention: Keep mulch off the base of the plant; keep foliage dry and provide air circulation.
Treatment: Remove affected foliage. Use neem oil or a copper- or phosphorus-based product. Discard badly affected plants.
2. Botrytis Blight
Symptoms: Gray, fuzzy mold on flowers, leaves, and stems, especially in humid conditions. It’s more
common in greenhouse-grown plants.
Prevention: Maintain good airflow, avoid overcrowding, and clean up the previous year’s foliage.
Treatment: Remove and destroy infected sections of plants. Products that target fungus may be helpful, particularly in damp weather.
3. Aphids
Symptoms: Clusters of tiny green or black insects on new growth and flower buds; generally more common in greenhouse conditions.
Prevention: Encourage natural predators like ladybugs and avoid overfertilizing, as excess nitrogen can produce lots of new growth that can attract aphids.
Treatment: Generally these pests will not cause much damage and can be left alone; spray affected areas with water to dislodge them if desired.
4. Vine Weevils
Symptoms: Hollowed-out crowns at the soil level. Affected plants topple over as the leaves are separated from the crown.
Prevention: Inspect plants regularly for leaf damage, and buy plants from trusted vendors.
Treatment: Handpick adult weevils from plants at night. Nematodes can control the larvae in soil.
5. Crown Rot
Symptoms: Soft or mushy areas near the crown of the plant; dark lesions on stems near the crown.
Prevention: This is most common in gardens with poorly drained soil. Planting in raised beds or well-
draining soil will keep this at bay.
Treatment: For lightly affected plants, prune out diseased sections. Discard badly affected plants.
6. Hellebore Black Death
Symptoms: Black streaks on leaves and stems, stunted growth, and distorted foliage caused by the Helleborus net necrosis virus.
Prevention: Purchase plants from reputable sources, and inspect new plants for symptoms. Clean tools regularly.
Treatment: This deadly virus is specific to hellebores and likely spread by insects and tools. There is no cure, and affected plants must be discarded.
Preventive measures to stop problems before they start
- Sanitation: Remove old or damaged leaves before bloom if they appear diseased or discolored.
- Spacing: Plant hellebores with adequate room between them to allow enough airflow.
- Watering: Water when needed in the morning at the base of plants to keep foliage dry.
- Monitoring: Regularly inspect plants for early signs of pests and diseases to address issues promptly.
- Removal: Badly affected plants should be discarded to prevent the spread of the disease or pest.
Hans Hansen is a horticulturist who has developed thousands of perennials for the nursery trade. He gardens in western Michigan and works for Walters Gardens as the director of new plant development.
Photos, except where noted: courtesy of Hans Hansen
Sources:
The following mail-order sources may offer many of the hellebores featured in this article:
- Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, NC; 919-772-4794; plantdelights.com
- Garden Crossings, Zeeland, MI; 616-875-6355; gardencrossings.com
- White Flower Farm, Litchfield, CT; 1-800-503-9624; whiteflowerfarm.com
- Proven Winners, 815-895-8130; provenwinners.com
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