Hellebore

Hellebores are so easy and so pretty, they have a place in nearly every landscape. Their exquisite bowl- or saucer-shape flowers in white (often speckled), pinks, yellows, or maroon remain on the plant for several months, even after the petals have fallen. Deer-resistant and mostly evergreen, hellebores' divided leaves rise on sturdy stems and may be serrated (like a knife) along the edges. They do best in shade where soil remains moist; some prefer acid or alkaline conditions, depending on variety.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun,Shade

Zones:

4-9

Plant Type:

Perennial

Plant Height:

1-4 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-3 feet wide

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Winter Interest,Dried Flowers,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Christmas rose

Helleborus niger offers pristine, pure white flowers from late winter to early spring on purple-spotted 1-foot-tall stems. Its fingered evergreen leaves are leathery in texture. Zones 4-8
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Hybrid hellebores

Helleborus x hybridus includes a large number of hybrid strains. The leathery evergreen leaves are composed of 7-11 leaflets, often toothed along their margins. Several nodding bowl-shape flowers in an ever-expanding range of colors (except blue) appear very early in the season. Zones 6-9
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Garden Plans

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Red-Theme Garden Plan
No-Fuss Shade Garden Plan

Plant It With

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Hosta

The bold foliage of plantain lily is a great foil for the divided hellebore leaves. Both plants thrive under similar conditions.

Astilbe

In shaded places, astilbe adds a fine foliage texture in contrast to the bolder hellebore leaves. In late spring and summer, astilbe flowers brighten an otherwise somber patch.

Lungwort

Lungwort's dappled leaves make an interesting counterpoint against dark hellebore foliage. In spring, lungwort produces bright pink and blue flowers that combine well with hellebore blooms.

Propagation

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Seed
Division