By Dave Green, Green’s Gardens & Nursery
Hellebores are quickly becoming more popular with gardening consumers. Though a native perennial in the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia down through the Carolinas, breeders have established some new varieties that are hardy for the New England states. With the latest technology in tissue culture this really cool evergreen perennial now has some nice flowering capabilities, which attract more and more garden centers looking for something different to put on the shelves in early spring along with pansies and primrose.
Hellebore ‘Jacob’
We started growing finished hellebores 6 years ago thanks to the introduction of new Helleborus niger cultivars from Heuger out of Germany. The “Gold Collection” series is the latest in tissue culture varieties that have produced outward and upward-facing flowers with a majority blooming the first season. This is a step forward compared to the native H. orientalis that may take a couple seasons to have numerous blooms and stay true to color.
Hellebore ‘Pink Frost’
The hellebore or “Christmas rose” also is being sold in mass market chains and grocery chains along with Christmas plants, so a majority of consumers have seen them but only during the holiday season. I think this is an opportunity for garden centers to jump ahead with other cultivars to offer in very early spring and continue through fall.
Hellebore ‘Metallic Blue Lady’
It adds value to the consumer that this “gift plant” ends up as a hardy garden perennial. The most popular variety, ‘Jacob’ has masses of white flowers over very glossy dark leaves and blooms mid November through January. My favorite is ‘Pink Frost’. Burgundy and white buds open to soft pink shades that mature back into deep burgundy. New growth has dark red veins while the leaves remain a deep green. It does bloom a little in October but shows its best during March and April. As far as H. orientalis, I really like ‘Blue Metallic Lady’. Is has deep green foliage and very deep blue, almost black, flowers. There is also a pink available called ‘Pink Lady’.
Hellebore ‘Silvermoon’
I think hellebores offer great benefits to both the garden center and the consumer. First of all they has a high sq. foot yield on the bench. I have seen some pricing on Long Island at $25-$27 for a gallon container; wholesale runs from $7-$10. (As a holiday plant even higher.) Second, most are hardy to zone 5 or 5.5 and are very deer resistant. We trialed a bunch at a local cemetery here in Binghamton with an extremely bad deer problem. The trail camera and footprints showed they tasted them and moved on. If you break a stem it has a strong garlic smell. Lastly, they are a great addition to any shade garden. They prefer well-drained acidic soil with afternoon shade. They work great under pines, and once established they do fill out like hosta beds forming large clumps. The seasonal looks last well into winter until they are covered with snow. However like bulbs they are the first to show some flowers come the first snow melt when the ground begins to warm up. Any leaves that do get burned from winter desiccation are trimmed off and they will fill in quickly with new growth.
Hellebore ‘Jacob’
Trials are being conducted at University of Georgia, Michigan, and Cornell University. Professor Michael Dirr, one of our industry’s leading authorities, has been very impressed with the new cultivars and is promoting hellebores during his seminars and talks.
Sources:
Greens Gardens & Nursery
Glen Aubrey, NY 13777
Dave Green [email protected]
Skagit Gardens
Mount Vernon, WA.
Dave Green is bullish on hellebores. Find out why: http://t.co/VLk0PdftP1 (I saw some packaged for spring sales at @Wegmans yesterday.)