Planting Hellebores

April 17, 2024

Spring planting is in full swing here at my farm!

Every year I add lots of plants to both existing gardens as well as new spaces. Over the weekend, I placed dozens of potted hellebores in the beds outside my Tenant House, in areas that get partial shade and dappled sunlight. I already have hellebores growing in these gardens, but I wanted to fill in the spaces a bit more. These hellebores are part of a recent shipment from the wholesale plant nursery, Monrovia. Yesterday, my gardeners planted all of them and they look great. Hellebores begin to bloom in March and continue through the spring until the end of May. We'll all enjoy the low lying clumps of bold green foliage with their colorful rose-like blossoms for several more weeks.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: Whenever possible, I often like to place the specimens myself, where I know they will look best. We received about 80 of these hellebores from Monrovia and I knew they would be perfect in the beds outside my Tenant House.

: Hellebores should be planted about two-feet apart since they spread. Here they are also mixed with other perennials with foliage and blooms in similar colors.

: The varieties we’re adding include ‘Cascade Blush,’ Ice N’ Roses ‘Bennotta,’ Ice N’ Roses ‘Bianco,’ and Ice N’ Roses ‘Red.’

: My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, makes sure all the plants are in good condition, removing any browned leaves before they are planted.

: A hole is dug at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball.

: All the areas to be planted are given a good sprinkling of fertilizer.

: We’re using Scotts Rose & Bloom, which provides a steady feeding that boosts blooms on roses, annuals, and perennials.

: Before planting, the root ball is scarified, meaning intentional cuts are made to encourage and stimulate growth. A Hori Hori gardening knife like this is perfect for many tasks such as scarifying, loosening soil, measuring soil depth, digging up weeds, and dividing plants.

: The same is done at the bottom of the plant’s root ball.

: Once the hellebore is in the hole, it is backfilled and the surrounding soil is gently tamped down to create good contact.

: Hellebore foliage is dark green, glossy, and palmately divided. It contrasts nicely against the bright colored flowers.

: Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They are very popular because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost.

: Here is one now completely planted. Hellebores do best underneath deciduous trees where they are shaded by foliage in summer, but are exposed to full sun after the trees have dropped their leaves in fall.

: They are sometimes known as Lenten rose or Christmas rose because of the appearance and early flowering time. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years.

: Hellebores come in a wide range of dark and light colors including shades of maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, dusky pink, and white with or without contrasting markings.

: These hellebores are white with tinges of pink.

: Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower. These flowers also tend to nod.

: These plants are also fairly deer and rabbit resistant.

: While hellebores do spread, they are considered slow-growing plants that can take up to 18-months to reach their mature size.

: It’s amazing how much a garden can change with the addition of plants. After the hellebores are all planted, they’re given a good drink. And, once the plants are well-established, hellebores require little upkeep.