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HELLEBORE
Here in the Pacific Northwest the blooming of hellebores is a favorite late winter reminder that spring is right around the corner. The genus of Helleborus is comprised of 15 different species and belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Hellebores are perennial and largely evergreen. Their flowers provide color and interest in the shade garden when other plants are dormant. In addition, their leaf structure is interesting enough to make them a foundation of the shade garden year-round, even when their flowers are spent. Hellebores are also deer resistant and somewhat drought tolerant.
Those of us living in the Pacific Northwest are especially lucky because of our proximity to Northwest Garden Nursery in Eugene, owned by Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne. They are world-renowned for their hand-selection and breeding of hellebores to create cultivars with an amazing range of flower colors, as well as other noteworthy qualities.
From humble beginnings in 1992, Northwest Garden Nursery has become the major breeder of hellebores here in the Pacific Northwest. Their original breeding stock came as seed from breeders Will McLewin in the U.K. and Gisela Schmeimann in Germany. Additional stock was hand selected on buying trips to England and Holland at Ashwood Nursery, Blackthorn Nursery, and de Hessenhof. Over the years other branches of the business were downsized in order to concentrate on their main love of creating and propagating hybrid hellebores of superior quality and vigor ideally suited for life in the Pacific Northwest.
Northwest Garden Nursery ’s breeding program is both rigorous and comprehensive. All the stock plants are hand pollinated and then isolated from other pollinators. Every seed head is individually bagged and harvested by color strain. Qualities selected for are clean, clear colors, evenly shaped petals, overall vigor and disease resistance, and plentiful flower production. In single flowered forms they also select for vertical, outward facing blooms with interestingly colored reverses.
Double flowered forms are additionally selected for blossom fullness, evenly spaced petals, and overall texture. As it is important that the foliage does not overwhelm the blooms, plants are also selected toward finer foliage. Each year they gather a few of the choicest new hybrids as stock plants to be added to the next year’s breeding program, while discarding any that are deemed inferior. Through this constant and ruthless upgrading they make yearly progress toward the “perfect plant” for your garden.
Northwest Garden Nursery hellebores are low growing herbaceous perennials with short-stemmed, often toothed, palmate foliage. Their most impressive feature is their five petaled, bowl shaped flowers which appear from late winter into spring in colors as diverse as white, cream, apricot, yellow, green, slate, every tint of pink, maroon, and even black! With all they have to offer it’s not hard to see why the hellebore was chosen Perennial Plant of the Year for 2005. Here at Portland Nursery we are very excited to be able to offer three of the unique series created by the O’Byrnes:
The Winter Jewels Series covers the whole spectrum of floral color and form: singles, doubles, anemone-flowered, speckled, picoteed, veined, and nearly every color and combination of colors imaginable. No garden should be without at least one.
The Winter Jewels Series, Singles:
 Apricot Blush- Apricot to peach with red reverse and rays, some with picotee edge. |
 Black Diamond- Deep slate to black shades with burgundy rays and chartreuse nectaries. |
 Cherry Blossom- Pale pink flecked and/or veined richer pink with bubblegum nectaries. |
 Golden Sunrise- Warm, clear yellow, some with red veining and/or speckles. |
 Jade Star- Bold green with red or purple reverse, rays, and veining, chartreuse nectaries. |
 Painted- White to pale yellow, heavily flecked with purple to maroon spotting. |
The Winter Jewels Series, Doubles:
 Amber Gem- Light apricot to golden blush tones. |
 Berry Swirl- Rich rose to wine red with deeper speckles and /or picotee. |
 Cotton Candy- Palest blush to rich rose, some with darker picotee. |
 Double Painted- White, heavily marked with purple to maroon spotting. |
| Golden Lotus- Various yellow tints with or without red picotee and/or spotting. |
 Harlequin Gem- Lush red or plum with darker tips and/or veining. |
 Jade Tiger- Vibrant greens with maroon spotting and/or picotee. |
 Onyx Odyssey- Dusky maroon, slate, or black, some with darker picotee edging. |
 Sparkling Diamond- Purest white, some with red or green eye. |
The Carousel Series takes elegant pinks to a whole new level. Ranging from the palest blush, through dawn and apple-blossom, to intense rose, this series explores the single, anemone-flowered form. It features pearly, evenly sculpted petals and enlarged nectaries, sometimes in alluringly contrasting colors. Sweet!
The Splashdown Series pushes the envelope on splashy, contrastingly colored, “painted” flowers. Typically a darker color of spots like plum, red, slate, or purple over a lighter ground like white or cream, these plants are quite showy and eye-catching in the garden. The fancifully patterned, single flowers with large, mostly green nectaries make a playful addition to the shade garden.
Some of our other favorite species of hellebores are described in greater detail below.
 Helleborus argutifolius - Known as the Corsican hellebore, this species is evergreen and hardy to Zone 6 with good protection. This species has light green leaves with many light green colored flowers displayed on stalks. Leaves are divided into three leaflets that are toothed in texture with spiny margins. This is an attractive low maintenance species that provides lots of winter interest. Noteworthy varieties include ‘Silver Lace’ which is a new variety with silver foliage and creamy flowers. |
 Helleborus foetidus - Known as the Stinking Hellebore, this species is evergreen and known to be pungent if crushed. Originating from Britain to Hungary, this species has dark green leaves with 5 to 13 narrow leaflets. Flowers are light green to red-tinted and erect with conspicuous leafy bracts. This species is very hardy and a good garden plant once established. Varieties carried by Portland Nursery include ‘Wester Flisk,’ 'Aromatique,’ ‘Giant Form,’ ‘Gold Bullion’ and ‘Red Silver.’ |
 Helleborus niger - Known as the Christmas Rose, the Helleborus niger is winter to spring flowering, evergreen and native to the Alps of northern Italy to southern Germany. Leaves of this species are dark green, leathery and divided into 7 to 9 leaflets. Flowers have pinkish buds opening to white with a green center. This species is hardy to Zone 3 with protection. |
 Varieties carried by Portland Nursery include the double flowered ‘Double Fantasy,’ (pictured in sidebar) as well as ‘Josef Lemper’ (pictured left) and ‘Praecox.’ |
| Helleborus orientalis - Known commonly as the Lenten rose, this species is a semi-evergreen winter-flowering species from northern Turkey and Greece. Leaves are coarsely serrated and flowers are variable from pure white to red-black, often with spotting. This species is commonly hybridized with other species to form Helleborus x hybridus which results in varieties as diverse in color as apricot, blue, black and maroon red. Portland Nursery carries a changing variety of many types listed below. |
 Helleborus x hybridus - Largely a hybrid of Helleborus orientalis and another species such as H. cyclophyllus, H. odorus, H. purpurascens or H. viridis. Most varieties are variable and represent selected seedling material with an eye towards different flower colors. Typical flower colors include white, pink, rose, reddish-purple, deep purple and even black. These hybrids are very popular and include cultivars such as 'Gepunktete' (pictured in sidebar) which is intensely spotted and series such as Mardi Gras (black, green, slate, white and yellow flowers) and(apricot, double pink, double white, double purple, green, pink and yellow flowers -- single purple pictured) which each have a range of colors. |
 Another popular hybrid is Hellebore ‘Ivory Prince’ (pictured) Officially known as Hellebore ‘Walhelivor PPAF,’ this hellebore is a hybrid of two other hybrids, ‘x nigercors’ and ‘x ericsmithii.’ Noteworthy are its upright blooming cream and pink colored flowers, as well as its light-green serrated leaves with red stems. “Royal Heritage” is a strain that is known for its wide diversity of colors and patterns on large two-inch wide pendulous flowers. |
Hellebore 'Apricot Blush'
FUN FACTS: HELLEBORE
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Helleborus
Common Name: Hellebore, Lenten Rose, Christmas Rose
Origin: Temperate zones from Europe to Western China; many grow in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe.
Culture: Most prefer woodland conditions with deep, fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil and dappled shade. Hellebores can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions as long as plants have good drainage.
Maintenance: Heleborus x hybridus appreciate a yearly application of fertilizer in late winter to early spring. Top dress around the plant with compost or well rotted manure in early winter, but keep clear of the crown to prevent rot. Many authorities recommend removing old leaves to maintain a tidy appearance.
When flower stems are 3-4 inches tall cut off all the old leaves. This will enhance flower display and reduce the spread of disease year to year. When flower stems die back they may be removed as well. Seedlings that appear around the base of plants may be left if not overcrowded. Otherwise pot them up or move them in spring.
When plants are well established, or if they become congested, they may be divided. The best time to do this is late summer or early fall, when active growth has slowed. Be aware that recently divided plants may take a year to reestablish, and thus may not flower the following spring.
Garden Use: The fact that they bloom in late winter when everything else looks dead or conspicuously absent makes them the stars of the winter shade border. They are excellent companions for hostas, woodland flowers, ferns, and other shade-loving plants.
They are also deer resistant and somewhat drought tolerant once established. Being mostly evergreen, their large textured, dramatic leaves provide structure and color year-round. Combine all these desirable qualities with overall toughness and you get a stellar perennial worthy of inclusion in every garden.
Pest and Disease: Hellebores have few problems with disease but they are susceptible to black fungal rot. Keep an eye out for aphids. Slugs and snails are also known to attack young growth. Bait with Sluggo before damage becomes apparent.
Hellebore hybrid 'Double Queen'
Hellebore hybrid 'Red Lady'
Hellebore hybrid
Hellebore hybrid
H. hybrid 'Double Queen Mix'
H. hybrid Royal Heritage'
H. hybrid 'Double Queen Mix'
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