Learn to easily grow flawless hellebores

Hellebores are tough perennials that bloom in winter, when most of their fellow flowers lay dormant. We'll teach you how to select and care for hellebores so that you can enjoy beautiful blossoms even in the chilly months.

• Hellebores grow from thick creeping rhizomes, remain evergreen in all but the most brutal winters, and return reliably every year. Their 60-centimetre-high (25-inch) stems are erect and succulent, and their leaves and petals are almost waxy in texture, which protects them from frost damage.
• Helleborus foetidus has dark, glossy green leaves and pale green, bell-shaped flowers that develop a rosy purple rim as they age. It isn't fussy about soil, but because its flowers have a rancid scent, plant this species where it can be seen, not smelled.
• The flowers of two other hellebores resemble single rose blossoms, hence their common names of Christmas rose (H. niger) and Lenten rose (H. orientalis).
• Christmas rose flowers open creamy white and age to pink, whereas those of Lenten rose are variable because the plant easily hybridizes and reseeds. It blooms in shades of rose, pink, lavender, burgundy, and lettuce green, with petals that are often speckled with a darker colour. Because of this varied flower colour, plants look best in casual drifts.
• Let these varieties flow beneath bare winter trees or shrubs, preferably in a place near a path or entryway that's easily seen in winter. You also can mix hellebores into flower beds close to the house or use their evergreen foliage and height in a bulb garden that includes early-blooming crocus and grape hyacinth.
• Because the blossoms nod downwards, growing hellebores atop walls, on ledges, or in raised beds makes them easier to admire.
• Always keep hellebores away from young children and pets, as all parts of the plants are toxic if eaten.
• Hellebores are remarkably resistant to pest and disease problems.

• Hellebores are not easily grown from seed, and it takes up to three years for a seedling to reach blooming size. If you already have plants, let them shed ripe seeds that will fall to the ground, sprout erratically, and eventually fill in the holes in the colony.
• When they're small, seedlings can be lifted and replanted where you want them to grow.
• Once you've planted hellebores, there's no need to disturb them again. Digging them will set them back, and a full year may pass before the plants regain good blooming energy. If you must move or divide plants, do so in the spring, immediately after flowering.

• Choose a spot that receives some winter sun and then becomes shady when trees leaf out and temperatures rise.
• Dig in compost, leaf mold, or other organic matter before setting out purchased plants in spring or fall, and space them 30 centimetres (12 inches) apart. Each spring thereafter, apply a five centimetre (two inch) layer of rotted manure or compost at the base of your plants.
• Hellebores often need at least two years to settle in and start blooming prolifically, so be patient. Once established, they're quite tough and can tolerate drought and alkaline soil.

If you're looking for a beautiful perennial that's durable and easy to care for, hellebores may be the plant for you. Follow these simple instructions and you'll be able to appreciate their winter blossoms in no time.