Hellebores: Winter Flowers for Pollinators
What blooms through the snow in your yard? Many older homes in our neighborhood have established clumps of evergreen hellebores blooming from January through April or May. Suddenly, there are delicate pink and white petals emerging in the depths of winter.
I asked a new friend about them soon after we moved to Williamsburg, and she generously gave me trays full of seedling plants when she thinned hers that spring. What a wonderful gift! The plants she gave to me more than a decade ago have multiplied, and they still bloom in our garden each winter.
There are more than twenty species of Helleborus, nearly all native to Europe, the Mediterranean region, or the Middle East, in zones 5-8. One of the prettiest hellebores, with variegated foliage, is H. argutifolius ‘Snow Fever.’ Its new leaves and flower buds emerge tipped in pink. Its creamy flowers have a cast of light green. It is native to Corsica. Several named cultivars of H. argutifolius appear on the market occasionally, but they can be hard to find.
Helleborus argutifolius ‘Snow Fever’
Most hellebores commonly available will be Helleborus orientalis, the Lenten rose; H. niger, the Christmas rose; or Helleborus x hybridus. As with many heritage perennials, the original species have been heavily hybridized to produce countless different combinations of form and color. While most of the species’ flowers are single and cup shaped, many of the hybrids are fully double, and many have beautiful markings on their leaves.
You may be lucky enough to locate H. foetidus, the bearsfoot or stinking hellebore, which has deeply divided leaves and green flowers edged in red. It is a mountain species, preferring sweet soil, and grows well in dry shade. It is taller than many other species and draws attention. It is available from mail order nurseries, but is often hard to find locally.
Helleborus x hybridus is a hybrid of Helleborus orientalis, the Lenten rose.
Hellebores begin their new growth in early winter, sending up fresh new leaves and flower buds under cover of sturdy, evergreen leaves left standing from the previous season. These thick, protective leaves offer cover from freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and winter winds. Leaves may begin to look a bit ragged by February. Cut the old leaves away so that the dazzling jewel like buds of the new season’s flowers finally shine.
Most hellebores bloom in shades of white, cream, pink, peach, lilac, burgundy, or dark purple. Many have “freckles” on their faces. Hellebore blossoms are only fully appreciated when viewed up close because most cultivars hold their blossoms facing downwards. One must come in close and lift each blossom to see its face.
Hellebore flowers may resemble small roses, but the plants belong to different families. Helleborus species belong to the buttercup, or Ranunculaceae family. Cut, hellebores last for a long time in the vase. One of the few cut flowers we can grow here in Zone 7b during the winter, they work well in arrangements with early daffodils and forced flowering branches of shrubs or fruit trees.
Hellebores are popular in our neighborhood because deer never graze them. Every part of a Helleborus plant is poisonous, from flower to root. This means they won’t be nibbled by rabbits, moles, voles or deer. Alkaloids in the plant irritate the mouth and skin, causing many harmful effects if eaten. If you have sensitive skin, it is wise to wear gloves when planting hellebores, trimming their leaves, or cutting their flowers.
Seedling hellebores grow into large plants within three or four years. These were some of the first seedlings passed on by a friend. Notice that the bees have done their work, and seeds are beginning to ripen in the center of the flowers.
Hellebores spread to form a good ground cover in shady areas. Use hellebore plants to protect areas from voles tunneling, since voles won’t tunnel through their roots. Hellebores can also be useful on sloping ground, where they hold the soil against erosion. This is a good plant for low-maintenance garden areas.
Hellebores enjoy winter and spring sunshine, but they appreciate the leafy canopy of trees during the summer. They grow well in partial shade under large shrubs or deciduous trees. Many hellebores are drought tolerant, but the plants may need watering during dry spells for the first year or two if planted under trees. Thirsty tree roots often grow up into plantings and rob the perennials of moisture during dry weather. Mulch and supplemental watering help, though hellebores require good drainage. Consider planting them in a raised bed if your soil is mostly clay.
Helleborus x hybridus frequently have interesting marking on their leaves, which persist through the summer and fall.
Mix hellebores with ferns, mosses, flowering bulbs, Hostas, Epimediums, Ajuga, Brunnera, and other shade loving perennials. Once past their bloom, their leaves will form a solid backdrop for other plants throughout the summer. Although they look unremarkable during much of the year, their winter and early spring flowers make them well worth the effort.
You may also plant hellebores in pots during the winter, with Violas or evergreen ferns, in full to part sun locations. Move, or transplant potted hellebores to shady areas before the middle of May, so the plant isn’t burned by the summer sun. Use a large pot, or transplant into the garden in late spring, as they resent having their roots pot bound.
Hellebores produce good quality nectar and pollen, sustaining many insects when little else is in bloom. Each pollinated flower produces viable seeds, which fall in early summer and germinate near the parent plants. Most of the hellebores available at nurseries are hybrids, and their seedlings won’t match the parent plants. Some hybrids may be sterile, producing no seeds.
While we don’t expect the seedlings’ flowers to match the parent, they may be a pleasant surprise. There are so many seedlings from a mature plant that there will be enough to share with gardening friends and to expand your own collection. Transplant seedlings to pots or to new planting beds where they have space to grow. Mature plants usually spread to 18”-24”, depending on the variety. Hellebores will bloom in their third or fourth year.
Some of the most interesting hybrids have dark purple, almost black, flowers.
Once established, hellebores are persistent and long-lived. Moving and dividing hellebores requires a bit of extra monitoring and care for the first year. The best way to propagate new plants is with seed.
Hellebores are another heritage plant which continue year to year with little effort from the gardener. Trimming their old leaves, keeping them watered, and feeding once or twice each year with compost or other organic mulch is all they really require, when planted in a favorable spot in the garden. They reward this small effort with lovely jewel like flowers when we most need them, during these last few frosty weeks of late winter and earliest spring.
For More Information:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helleborus-orientalis/
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/helleborus-foetidus-stinking-hellebore
All photos by Elizabeth McCoy
Elizabeth McCoy is a JCCW Master Gardener, class of 2018, a Tree Steward and Williamsburg Botanical Garden volunteer.