Nearly Native - European Garden Plants – Hellebore

Name - also called Christmas Rose. The botanical name is Helleborus. The Cornish refer to the Christmas rose as ‘The Virgin's Mantle’. In medieval times it was said to be good for breaking bad spells and curses and was often planted near the front door.

Description - The flower has translucent petals and spotted stamens, combining with delicately pointed leaves, giving the flower the appearance of a wild dog-rose. H. niger is either bright purest white, or a warm deep purple. H. corsicus has green or cream bell-like cups in clusters, while H. orientalis has speckled and streaked flowers in unusual shades of cream, green, purple and pink. Most hellebores grow happily in shade, appreciating plenty of organic matter in the soil, topped up with a mulch every spring. All types prefer a sheltered position away from the effects of strong icy winds that can damage the emerging blooms and leaves. It is claimed that H. niger is not easy to establish but you should succeed if you give it a stony (add grit or gravel) yet fertile soil, preferably on the limey side, that doesn't get too dry in summer.

For Decoration - Hellebores are short-lived flowers but very beautiful nonetheless. They benefit from a long drink before arranging and keeping them cool will prolong their life. Despite its beauty, the black roots of H. niger are extremely poisonous , so although it is safe to handle, hands should be washed after handling it. These flowers droop naturally in growth and perhaps the best way to display them when they are used as a decoration is to cut the blooms close to the flower and float them in a large bowl filled with water and even with a few floating candles, this reveals their true and subtle beauty.

European hellebore photograph by key lime_pie, used under a creative commons attribution

 

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