Hellebores Stars of the Spring Garden
For me the first blooms of the Helleborus, commonly known as Lenten Rose, signal the beginning of a new gardening season. As the snow starts to melt I can't resist poking around in the old foliage looking for the tightly furled blooms that will quickly emerge with the warmth of the early spring sun.
For years it was widely believed that hellebores would not survive in the Ottawa Valley. Every April, during buying trips to Southern Ontario, I was enchanted by their beautiful flowers. I finally decided that the worst that could happen is that the plant would die- so I bought one and planted it in a sheltered corner of the shade garden. Now our property has at least fifty clumps of Hellebores. Some of the earliest ones have grown into large drifts, surrounded by self-seeded offspring. One original plant now produces over a hundred blooms each spring. Over the past twenty years plant breeders have introduced an incredible range of hellebore varieties, offering a wide palette—from whites and pastels to deep, almost-black shades with intricate forms including fully double flowers. After flowering the deeply divided, leathery foliage of hellebores remains a lush green, providing a striking contrast to the more rounded leaves of hostas and other broad leaved shade plants.
Native to woodlands and rocky slopes across Central Europe to Western Asia, hellebores have a fascinating history. In medieval times, they were believed to possess magical powers and were planted near cottage doors to ward off evil spirits. Garlands of hellebore blooms were even placed on animals to protect them from disease. The name hellebore comes from the Greek hellein (to kill) and bora (food), a nod to their toxic nature.
Hellebores are exceptionally long-lived and often produce masses of seedlings beneath their foliage, which can be transplanted to create new colonies. They’re rarely troubled by pests or disease and are generally unappealing to deer. Best of all, their blooms last for several months, gradually transitioning from vibrant petals to papery bracts and finally to star-shaped seed pods. These plants thrive in part shade, ideally with morning or late afternoon sun. A woodland-style soil—rich in organic matter and well-drained—is ideal. They prefer consistent moisture in spring and fall during active growth, but tolerate drier conditions in late summer when they go dormant.
I like to wait until the new growth appears before cutting back any winter-damaged foliage. In years with little snow cover, the evergreen leaves may need to be fully removed—but fresh growth quickly fills in. A five-centimetre mulch of organic material, like rotted leaves or aged manure, applied every spring will keep the clumps growing well. Hellebores resent disturbance and can remain in the same place for many years.
Propagation from self-sown seedlings is the easiest way to obtain more plants but the fearless gardener may decide to cut into an established clump and pull apart divisions to replant. We have been most successful moving and dividing hellebores in late summer just as they begin a new cycle of growth. In fall, we leave the fallen leaves in place to protect the crowns, or cover the plants with evergreen boughs to trap snow and insulate new additions.
Over the last ten years intensive plant breeding, using Helleborus Niger, commonly known as the Christmas Rose and H. orientalis, with its coloured flowers, has produced exquisite double flowered forms and interesting marbling in the foliage. Flowers have also become more up-facing, allowing gardeners to see the full bloom not the hanging bells that are typical of the older varieties. I am so glad that I did not listen to the early advice to steer clear of hellebores. These gorgeous, easygoing harbingers of spring have become some of the most dependable and rewarding plants in our shade garden and I would not be without them.
