What are Hellebores

• Helleborus niger is the latin name for the Christmas Rose, the white flowered Hellebore.
• Hellebores are hardy, evergreen perennials that grow 12 to 15 inches tall.
• Hellebores have shiny, dark green leathery leaves but poisonous roots.
• Each flower stalk bears a single 2 to 4 inch white bloom sometimes tinged with pink.
• Hellebores should be planted in partial shade or under deciduous trees that allows them to receive winter sunlight.

Growing Tips for Hellebores

• The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Hellebores want deep, fertile, well draining but moist soil.
• Plant Hellebores 12-15 inches apart in the early spring.
• Christmas roses have a deep growing root system, so the roots should be planted downward, rather than spread out below the soil surface, and the crown of the plant should be an inch below the soil surface.
• Add a layer of mulch or leaf mold around the plant.
• Every spring or summer remove old, tattered foliage and feed the plants with a balanced

Hellebores can be grown from fresh seed available from Thompson & Morgan

Helebores form clumps quite slowly but self seed freely.

Gardeners Tips Links

• The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
• Alpine Garden Society (AGS)
• BBC Gardening
• See our sister site Gardening Products for tips and ideas on Garden products new and old.
• Thompson & Morgan search for seeds and plants
• Hellebore in heaven or hell