Since ancient times, our ancestors believed that hellebore growing near the house would protect against magic and attacks from dark forces. Later, it began to be equated to a miracle plant that helps overcome many ailments, can cleanse the body, and even helps fight excess weight problems.
Hellebore, which even an amateur gardener can care for, blooms early and very beautifully. For this reason it is also called “Christmas rose” or “Rose of Christ”. From the article you will learn what kind of plant hellebore is, its description and everything about it.
Did you know? With the help of hellebore, skinny people can normalize their body weight by gaining the required weight.
Hellebore: plant description
The flower grows up to 50 cm in height. Its rhizome is thick and short, and its stem is weakly branched. The basal foliage can be leathery, long-petiolate, palmately dissected or stop-shaped. The cup-shaped flowers of hellebore are produced on a long stem from January to the end of June. What are mistakenly taken for flower petals are sepals, and the former have evolved into nectaries."Rose of Christ" is replete color scheme– shades of white, yellow, pink, purple, violet and even ink, so hellebore looks very impressive among a snow-covered garden. There are also two-color varieties. Flowers meet as smooth surface, and with terry. 
Thanks to its early flowering, hellebore is very loved by many gardeners, because after a long cold and colorless winter period it is so pleasant to contemplate your plot, decorated with bright flowers. Hellebore, in addition to its special property of blooming earlier than most other flowers, has some other advantages, so one cannot fail to mention its high winter hardiness and drought resistance.
Important! Those who want to grow hellebore in their garden should be extremely careful, as it is very poisonous, like all plants from the buttercup family!
Where is the best place to plant hellebore?
Since hellebore grows best in shady areas, it should be planted under bushes, trees, rocky gardens and rock gardens. The flower also grows in sunny areas, for example along paths, but you just need to be careful about watering so that it does not suffer from severe drought. Under the canopies garden trees hellebore grows into a dense bush, forming large clumps of 70 stems. And after flowering such a plant remains original decoration garden from spring to late autumn. If your plans include decorating garden paths and curbs, remember that hellebore grows slowly and takes even longer to growI. To achieve the expected effect, you will have to purchase more than ten plants. When planting hellebores, consider the distance between the holes - 40 centimeters.
Did you know? Hellebore is called the “rose of Christ” because, according to one legend, it was discovered by the Magi next to the stable where Jesus Christ was born. It is precisely from that time that hellebores bloom in the south in the middle of winter.
Growing hellebore
In fact, growing hellebore is not at all difficult, but there are some subtleties, as with other buttercups.
How and when to plant hellebore?
In one place, hellebore bushes grow quietly for up to ten years, but he is very critical of replanting. Therefore, the place should be chosen with great responsibility. Most suitable soil for him it is moist, loose, drained clayey with a neutral reaction. Hellebores look most impressive when planted in small groups. When flowering, it forms a small island in the middle of a snow-covered or dull sleeping garden. Hellebore, which is planted in April and September, does not oblige you to provide it with meticulous care, like other decorative or delicate flowers planted in open ground.
Did you know? In the Middle Ages, hellebore was thought to protect against witches and witchcraft.
The holes for planting hellebore are prepared with a size of 30 cm³ and are located at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. This is necessary to take into account the distance during further growth of the bushes. Half of the hole needs to be filled with compost. Lower the rhizome into the hole, holding the bush with one hand, and sprinkle it with earth on top, compact it and water it. Water the hellebore frequently and generously for three weeks.
Hellebore propagation
Hellebore propagates vegetatively and generatively, but the most commonly used method is by seed. The seeds are sown as soon as they are collected after ripening. As a rule, this happens at the end of June. Sow hellebore to a depth of 15 mm in loose, moist and humus soil. The first shoots appear in March next year. After the seedlings grow, one or two pairs of leaves appear. After this, they need to be planted in a flowerbed, which is located in partial shade. The hellebore will grow there for another two to three years. Flowers begin to appear when the hellebore has reached three years of age, and it is planted and cared for in a permanent place. Replant the plant in April or September.
Important! Reproduction of stinking hellebore occurs by self-sowing.
Like other garden flowers, hellebore can be propagated and bush division. After the flower has bloomed, in the spring the five-year-old bushes should be dug up and the rhizome divided into several parts. Treat the sections with crushed coal and plant them in holes, which should be prepared in advance. In the spring, black hellebore is also propagated in this way, and in the fall it is better to do this with oriental hellebore. Did you know? There is confirmed evidence that hellebore was harvested for export in Russia back in the 17th century.
How to care for hellebore?
In order for the hellebore to grow beautiful, thick and bushy, caring for it should not be overly complicated; it is enough to remove all old and dead leaves. This way you will prevent infection of young leaves and buds with fungal spotting. New leaves appear on hellebore only after flowering. After the flowers have withered, you need to mulch the soil around the hellebore with peat and compost. In hot weather, the plant must be watered regularly, often loosened and weeded the soil around it. Hellebores should be fed with bone meal and mineral fertilizers twice per season.
Did you know? The Corsican variety is considered the most beautiful hellebore. It reaches a height of one meter.
Hellebore pests and diseases
Dangerous pests for hellebore are gastropods various kinds– these are slugs and snails that gnaw its leaves, as well as aphids, caterpillars of the hop weed and mice. Against the latter, poisoned baits are used, which are placed in places where they are expected to appear. Slugs and snails are collected by hand, and insects are destroyed with insecticides. Treatment with Antitlin and Biotlin works well against aphids, and with Actellik against caterpillars.
Did you know? The first mention of hellebore in books dates back to the 16th century in connection with its use as a “chemical weapon”. Today, hellebore is not used in traditional medicine.
Dangerous diseases hellebore is false powdery mildew, ringspot and anthracnose. Spotting is spread by aphids, this is main reason that its presence should not be allowed in your garden. Parts of plants that are damaged by spotting must be cut off and burned, and then the hellebore bushes and the entire area should be treated with fungicides.
Name: known since ancient times. The origin of the name is unclear. These plants have long been known to man and are surrounded by numerous legends. Legend has it that they were found near the stable where Christ was born, and since then, as if in memory of this event, hellebores in the south have bloomed in winter; sometimes they are called the “rose of Christ.” The German name for hellebore is Nieswurz (from Nies - sneezing and Wurz or Wurzel - root). Indeed, the dried and powdered root causes severe sneezing.
This amazing beauty the plant blooms at a time when you rejoice at every green leaf - in early spring, which is why it is called hellebore: it blooms in the cold. Its other name, also associated with the time of flowering, is winterweed. In Transcaucasia, where hellebore occurs naturally, it blooms depending on the weather in late February - April. Sometimes its large flowers appear among newly fallen snow.
Helleborus guttatus
Photo by EDSR.
Description: ts Hellebore branches consist of a large calyx, and the petals, which are the main decoration of other flowers, look like small thick funnels and serve to release nectar. The kit also includes a bunch of thin stamens and about a dozen pistils. The flowering process imperceptibly transforms into the process of fruit ripening, and you will not see a sad picture of wilting: the calyx simply gradually turns green, the stamens and nectary funnels disappear, and the pistils enlarge, turning into a star-shaped bunch of flat fruits - leaflets. Often the flower holds its shape for a long time: even after the leaflets open and the round black seeds fall out, the calyx does not wrinkle for some time. In some types of hellebore, the flowers are located on a special flowering stem, which in the spring brings them to the surface, and all large leaves are basal, that is, collected at its base. These basal leaves, which begin to grow during flowering, are fully formed by the time of fruiting, forming a dense, neat bush. In other species, flowers appear from a large bud at the top of the overwintering leafy stem. After fruiting, this stem dies off, but is replaced by a new one, beautiful and fresh, ready for the next winter with a flower bud on top. Leaves of all types are cut according to the same “style”: a long petiole with a rounded blade, dissected almost to the base into 5 or more lobes. The leaves sometimes overwinter, then they are hard, leathery and in the spring they keep company with young flowers until they are replaced by new ones. Non-wintering leaves have a more delicate texture. The underground part is represented by a short and thick branched rhizome with numerous and very strong black roots.
In total, there are about 15 (according to other sources 22) species of hellebores, distributed from central and southern Europe to the Caucasus, with the greatest species diversity observed in the Balkans, in particular in Yugoslavia. Not all, but many of them can live in the gardens of central Russia.
 Hellebore black-Helleborus niger L.
In nature, this species is found from southern Germany to Yugoslavia, where it grows in mountain forests.
There are varieties and varieties with white, pink and dark red large flowers. The largest flowers of the variety "Potter's Wheel". A large-flowered form with bluish-green leaves and flowers up to 11 cm in diameter has been found and cultivated. Hybrids of black hellebore with less frost-resistant species are known in cultivation, for example nigercors(N. nigercors) and nigristern(N.nigristern). It is very likely that they will be sensitive to the frosts of Central Russia. In the photo on the rightHelleborus niger var. macranthus. Photo on the left EDSR.
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From northeastern Greece to the eastern Caucasus, in shrubs, edges and forests, hellebores are found, basically the same structure: with evergreen hard leaves divided into 5-11 wide segments and more or less drooping flowers up to 7 cm in diameter. In large cities, bouquets of these flowers begin to be sold at the end of winter. Even from these bouquets it is clear that the flowers are colored very differently, and on the basis of this characteristic, some taxonomists are trying to distinguish different species. Plants with flowers in whitish and yellowish-green tones are classified as Hellebore Caucasian (Helleborus caucasicus), they predominate in Greece, Turkey, and are found throughout the Caucasus.
Only in Abkhazia there are populations with very beautiful purple-pink flowers, often covered with a dense scattering of small dark dots - they are called Abkhazian hellebore (Нelleborus abchasicus), the presence of such flowers in bouquets immediately reveals the place of collection. Plants from the central and eastern Caucasus, whose flowers are white on the inside with large reddish dots and pink on the outside, are classified as speckled hellebore(Helleborus guttatus). But where these species, or rather geographical races, meet together, they hybridize with each other and form many intermediate forms, which are completely impossible to understand. All that remains is to give up and simply name them all oriental hellebore(Helleborus orientalis). The amazing variability of the eastern hellebore gives work not only to taxonomists, but also to breeders. Its numerous forms became the basis for the creation of varieties. These varieties do not age well because they are often cross-pollinated, and not every nursery can boast of pure varieties. But they are still all good: both varietal plants and random hybrids. Their flowers vary from snow-white to light green and yellow, and have all shades of pink, from delicate pure color to black-purple. In addition, they can be decorated with speckles, or borders, or nectaries of contrasting color, and may even be double.
  Abkhazian hellebore - Helleborus abchasicus A. Vg.
It grows wild in the Caucasus. The basal leaves are leathery, glabrous, dark or violet-green, on long petioles. Peduncles are purple-red, 30-40 cm tall. The flowers are dark red up to 8 cm in diameter, sometimes with dark specks. Blooms in April for 35-40 days. Has garden forms. Winter-hardy. Photo on the left of Konstantin Alexandrov
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  Eastern hellebore - Helleborus orientalis Homeland Greece, Türkiye and the Caucasus. An evergreen perennial that reaches 30 cm in height and forms beautiful green clumps. At the beginning of spring, flowers up to 5 cm in diameter appear on it. The juice of its fruits can cause burns. Winter-hardy. The leaves are susceptible to fungal diseases that cause black spots. There are many varieties, for example, " White Swan". Photo on the left of Oleg Vasiliev
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| Despite the fact that Helleborus breeding has been carried out for a long time, the propagation of varieties has only been vegetative (rhizome division or tissue culture). This limited mass production as it made products more expensive.
In Cologne (Germany), Gisele Schmiemann managed to get a su per-series of varieties helleborus orientalis(H. orientalis): winter-hardy, with beautiful large flowers pure bright colors, which are 80% transmitted during seed propagation. This outstanding achievement of the originator allowed the largest German seed company “Gellito” to launch mass production of new products and make them a real hit in the early spring assortment of perennials. Full name of the variety seriesSchmiemann Strain Lady Series,
abbr. - Lady Series.
This means that the name of each of the six varieties, differing in color, contains the word Lady (“White Lady”, Ted Lady”, etc.). The plants are characterized by erect bushes, slender peduncles, good growth. Flowering height 40 see. In the southern regions, flowering occurs in February, in our middle lane- in April. The variety series is recommended for zones 4-9. Dark green leaves overwinter under snow. Exposure: from semi-shaded to sunny. The soil needs to be well-drained and rich in organic matter; pH 5.5-6.8. Groups (of six or more pieces) under trees and bushes look beautiful. Planting step 45 cm.
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"Red Lady"
| Hybrid hellebore - Helleborus x hybridus hort.
This includes varieties garden hybrids, obtained from crossing different types of hellebores. Flowers of various colors, from white to pink and purple, 5-8 cm in diameter. Peduncles 45-70cm tall. The most interesting are the following varieties: 'Violetta'- the flower is white with pink thin veins and edging, with a fluffy center; 'Belinda'- white with a greenish-pink tint and a thin border along the edge, terry; ‘Marion’ - white semi-double; 'Yellows'- bright yellow, ' Queen of the Night’ - dark purple with golden stamens.
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| Hellebore reddish- Helleborus purpurascens Waldst. el Kit.
Homeland - South-Eastern Europe. H often grows on forest edges and in bushes from Romania and Hungary to Western Ukraine. The leaves are basal, large, on long petioles, do not overwinter, unlike the oriental hellebore, palmately dissected into 5-7 leaflets, glabrous above, slightly shiny, bluish-green below. Peduncles 20-40 cm tall. Drooping flowers up to 4 cm in diameter, grayish-violet-purple on the outside, with inside violet-purple and greenish. C The branches smell quite unpleasant and turn completely green with age. Blooms from April for 30-35 days. In culture since 1850.
Location : hellebores prefer semi-shaded places among trees and shrubs , but they can withstand not very deep shade and sun well with regular watering. The soil: P prefer heavy clay soil, deeply cultivated and rich in humus. The application of lime is highly encouraged, but the soil reaction should remain approximately neutral. It is advisable that they do not dry out in the summer, but stagnation of water should not be allowed. However, as practice has shown, reddened and stinking hellebores also feel good on rather poor sandy soil. Smelly is also quite drought-resistant.
Care: After flowering, the soil is mulched with compost or well-decomposed peat. They are durable and can grow in one place for decades. Stinking hellebores and Corsican hellebores may be damaged by frost. If all the other hellebores listed can easily tolerate harsh Russian winters without damage to themselves, then these are best covered with spruce branches or a dry leaf, especially old specimens with developed stems. Reproduction: division and seeds. It is better to divide old plants, and also replant them early in the spring, before root growth begins, or in the fall; After transplanting, it should be watered well. In general, they do not like to be transplanted and for another year after that they are capricious, grow poorly and often do not bloom, although, as a rule, they do not die. Planting is done in well-filled holes measuring 30 x 30 x 30 cm, at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. After planting, water abundantly for 15-20 days. Since hellebores grow rather slowly, a fairly large number planting material It can be obtained much easier and faster by sowing seeds, which ripen annually and in large quantities.
For germination, hellebores need a two-stage stratification, first a warm period, then a cold period. Ideally, the seeds are sown immediately after ripening - at the end of June. Then, next spring, numerous friendly shoots appear, and some more germinate a year later. Newly purchased seeds can be sown in open ground if there are still at least 2.5-3 months before frost, then the seeds will receive the amount of heat necessary for their development and seedlings will appear in a year. But if winter is just around the corner, then it is better to sow them in a pot and keep them there for 3 months. room conditions(about 20°), and then in the refrigerator (about 4°). You just need to take into account that germination in the refrigerator can begin within a month, or it can take up to 3 months. Naturally, the pot needs to be watered and ensure that mold does not grow in it; it is better to use a mixture of peat and sand (3:1) - it is weakly affected by mold. When stored dry, the seeds gradually die and, as a rule, cannot be kept for longer than a year. Seedlings dive into semi-shaded places at the stage of one or two true leaves, maintaining a distance of 20 cm. permanent place planted after 3-4 years, in August - September. Blooms in 3-5 years , and selected varietals can begin to bloom already on the second. Usage:
m orozniks, like other early spring plants, form flowers in the fall and open them as soon as the soil warms up. Only snowdrops do this a little earlier. Along with hellebores, early primroses, crocuses, and scillas bloom, but they, having quickly played their role, disappear from the scene, and hellebores, decorated with new leaves, retain their decorative effect until the end of the season. They naturalize well in “wild” gardens and parks where the grass is not very thick and tall.
These are the most popular inhabitants of shady areas of rock gardens and rocky gardens. Planted under the canopy of trees, over time they form large (up to 50–60 flower stems) clumps that decorate the garden from early April until late autumn.
Group plantings along paths, in mixborders and borders look good. Plants with evergreen or variegated leaves are excellent for solitaire plantings. Some species (m. Caucasian, m. eastern) are used for forcing. Black hellebore is most suitable for this purpose. Its large white flowers with many pale yellow stamens bloom singly on strong, very succulent peduncles. In the fall, the rhizomes are planted in pots with good garden or compost soil and placed in a cool, bright, sunny window. The soil should be kept moist at all times. Throughout the winter (from the buds formed by the plants in the fall), flowers will sequentially bloom. In spring, forced plants are planted in a shaded area of the garden. Hellebore flowers last a long time when cut. Florists use them to compose dry compositions, since when kept in a glycerin solution, they retain their color and shape for a long time. Partners: These plants look good in mixed plantings with other early-flowering perennials, as well as in combination with kupena, peonies, woodruff, Volzhanka, and primroses. Used materials from the article by T. Konovalova and N. Shevyreva “Hellebore” // “In the world of plants” - 2002 - No. 4 |
Stinking hellebore - Helleborus foetidus 
Helleborus hybridus "Pluro" 
Hellebore flowers are perennial herbaceous plants. Initially, in the Mediterranean, the homeland of hellebore, the plant was used only as a medicinal raw material. Hellebore can be used to treat some skin diseases, as well as epilepsy and even paralysis. Today this plant is grown everywhere in our gardens. The plant is very decorative during the flowering period and after flowering thanks to the unusual, richly colored foliage.
Description of the plant
The hellebore flower is very poisonous, and therefore in official medicine it is used only as a medicinal, external remedy. The plant is very decorative, and breeders have bred about a dozen species and hybrids of the flower. These flowers are frost-resistant and very unpretentious, which is highly valued by gardeners.
This evergreen can decorate any corner in the garden. The flower is very decorative - large, hard leaves grow on long petioles. The plant has no stems. The flowers are quite large, reaching 15 cm in diameter. Flowers appear directly on the snow as soon as the peduncle can overcome the layer of ice. The colors of the flowers of this plant can be very diverse - from pure white to all shades of red.
A little bit of history
This flower has a very long and rich history. According to legend, it is usually called the rose of Christ. The plant received this name because of a long-standing legend that it supposedly grew next to the stable in which Jesus was born.
The next name of this plant is helleborus, that is, translated from Latin as “killing food”. Since ancient times, healers have not given up attempts to make a potion for all diseases based on the healing power of this flower. But, if you believe the legends, Alexander the Great died precisely after drinking a potion from hellebore, which they tried to cure his fever with. This plant must be used as a medicine with great caution, because it is very poisonous.
Photo hellebore
Hellebore is a completely undemanding plant when it comes to soil composition. But it is advisable to plant the flower on nutritious soil, not acidic and quite loose. If the soil on the site is highly acidic, then liming should be carried out. The flower grows very well on deciduous humus, which is why it is often planted near large deciduous trees or shrubs.
Stagnation of water in the soil is detrimental to a flower. You should not plant hellebores in lowlands with stagnant water or close proximity groundwater. When planting seedlings, be sure to lay a drainage layer of stones or broken red bricks or expanded clay.
Hellebore is a plant that loves partial shade, although it grows quite well in sunny areas. In general, even the most inexperienced gardener can master the cultivation of hellebore - its planting and care.
Landing
A bright spring-like spot against the background of dull winter nature is hellebore. It is best to plant hellebore seedlings in open ground either in April or by autumn, in September.
- The selected area is dug deeply and leveled.
- Then they dig it up planting pits up to 30 cm deep and also about 30 cm in diameter. If you plant several plants, it is advisable to leave a distance of about 30 cm between them.
- In order for the hellebore to take root faster and grow, compost is poured into the bottom of the planting hole.
- Then they lower the seedling into the hole, support it with one hand, and cover it with earth with the other.
- The soil around the planted plant must be compacted and then watered generously.
- For 3 weeks after planting, hellebores need to be watered frequently and a lot.
Read also: Features, cultivation and care of hybrid aquilegia
Hellebore flower - photo, description, when it blooms
Hellebores are flowers that are easily propagated both by seeds and by dividing the mother bush. The peculiarity of seed propagation is that the seeds should be sown immediately after collection. The seeds of the plant retain germination very poorly. Hellebores are sown in very loose, nutritious soil and planted to a depth of about 1-2 cm. Shoots will appear in March, but a plant grown from seeds will bloom only in the third year of life.
When the seedlings grow a little in the spring and acquire a couple of true leaves, they should be planted in partial shade, for example, in a flower bed under a spreading tree. Hellebores are planted in a permanent place in the garden only in the second or even third year of life. It is advisable to replant young plants in September.
It is much easier to propagate this plant by dividing the mother bush. As soon as the bush fades in the spring, you need to dig it up and divide the rhizome with a sharp tool so that there are shoots on each part. Then the divisions are simply planted in a permanent place in the garden. The transplanted plants must be carefully looked after for the first month - water frequently, mulch the soil around the roots.
There are several types of this flower that are grown in our gardens, and they all differ in the method of propagation. So, the black hellebore, or, in other words, the Christmas rose, is easiest to propagate by dividing the bush in the spring. Stinking hellebore itself quickly reproduces by self-sowing - just leave it on the bushes after flowering wilted flowers. Stinking hellebore does not tolerate division of the rhizome at all and may even die after transplantation. The easiest way to propagate Eastern hellebore is by dividing the bush, which is preferably done in the fall.
Care
The flower really does not like any transplants. This plant can grow well in one place for up to 10 years. In general, hellebore is a very simple planting and even simpler care. All measures for caring for this flower come down to weeding, watering, occasional feeding and pest control.
Read also: Tall Aralia in the interior of the garden plot
It is also advisable to mulch the bushes to minimize the already rare watering. Mulch will not only retain soil moisture, but will also prevent weed growth. Bushes are usually mulched with compost and leaf humus.
It is best to fertilize the plant with bone meal and ash. The plant will gratefully accept feeding in spring period and early summer. This flower does not need frequent feeding. Over time, the mulch around the bushes rots, which also serves as fertilizer.
As for watering, the flower should be watered only in severe drought. If you comply simple rules care, you will certainly grow healthy and beautifully flowering bushes.
Diseases
One of the most valuable qualities of this ornamental plant, which is highly valued by flower growers, is disease resistance.
Very long flowering, unpretentiousness, and frost resistance make hellebore a desirable inhabitant of any garden. This flower does not tend to get sick. But the plant may still suffer from frost. But only the leaves that need to be torn off in the spring are damaged by the cold. Low temperatures will not affect the flowering of the plant and its growth.
Sometimes spots appear on hellebore foliage. In this case, you should spray the bushes with Skor or Oksikhom. If the spots on the leaves are black, then you need to add lime to the soil. The appearance of black spots on hellebore indicates excessive acidity of the soil. When caring for bushes, you should not forget about prevention - occasionally you need to shed the soil and spray the plants.
Basically, hellebores get sick due to excess moisture, increased acidity of the soil, and lack of nutrients.
After flowering
On hellebore, the seeds begin to ripen at the end of June. The seed pods can burst completely unexpectedly - the seeds spill out onto the ground and can no longer be collected. To prevent this from happening, you need to put gauze bags on the immature boxes. Then the seeds will spill into the bag. Store seeds in paper bags. But the seeds lose their viability too quickly, and therefore it is better not to try to store them, but to immediately sow them in open ground.
Kinds
Hellebore black
You can meet black hellebore under natural conditions in Central and Southern Europe. This plant blooms from December to February with snow-white flowers that reach a diameter of up to 8 cm.
In our country, this species blooms a little later - after the snow melts, around April. In total, several varieties of this species have been bred with snow-white, very large flowers, reaching a diameter of 12 cm, with soft pink flowers that bloom in November, when the garden becomes dull.
Oriental hellebore
This is a very impressive look. Flowering of varieties of this species begins in mid-March or in the middle zone only in mid-April. The color of the flowers of this species can range from soft pink to purple. There are varieties of oriental hellebore with burls on the flowers.
Read also: Serrated buzulnik - a favorite shady corner in your garden
Hellebore stinking
This species, as can be understood from the name, does not smell very pleasant, but its multiple flowers of an unusual pale green color are very decorative. This plant is very compact and reaches a height of only 50 cm. The entire bush is strewn with very beautiful, almost exotic leathery leaves.
Hellebore Caucasian
This species can only be found in the mountainous areas of the Caucasus. Varieties of this species can boast very beautiful flowers and unusual foliage. Caucasian hellebore looks very decorative not only throughout the summer, but also in winter if there is little snow. But this species is very poisonous, so special care should be taken when growing it.
Properties of hellebore
Hellebore from seeds
Garden design
IN landscape design This plant is truly irreplaceable either in summer or winter. This flower looks great in borders next to primroses - early tulips, delicate crocuses and snowdrops, and daffodils.
- Compositions based on hellebore in combination with geranium and astilbe look very decorative.
- The plant looks amazing against the background of an emerald green lawn, next to ferns and cereals.
- Excellent partners for flowers that also love partial shade are the majestic queen of shade hosta and bergenia.
Blooming hellebores can decorate your terrace for Christmas. To do this, the bush is dug up just before frost and transplanted into a spacious pot, and then simply dug into open ground. For the winter, the pot is brought into a greenhouse or closed veranda. At a temperature of about +5 degrees, the flower will produce buds that will bloom for the holidays.
Varieties and varieties of this garden flower there are quite a lot, and every gardener will be able to choose a flower to his liking. Hellebore is unpretentious, and its planting and care in open ground is very simple and not at all burdensome. You can decorate your garden beautiful bushes all year round. In winter, the bush will delight you with abundant flowering, and in summer its unusual foliage will look very decorative. If you want your garden to be beautiful all year round, then be sure to plant hellebore.
As soon as the sun warms the snowdrifts, delicate hellebore flowers reach for the sun through the snow. This plant is characterized by early flowering. Helleborus opens its buds along with fritillaries, crocuses and erantis. Hellebore - planting, care, cultivation in open ground, varieties and species, propagation methods are described in this article.
Hellebore: varieties and varieties
The lovely hellebore flowers are so delicate and attractive that they perennial varieties are becoming increasingly popular among garden flower lovers. The perennial plant belongs to the ranunculaceae family. Hellebore is resistant to freezing in cold Russian winters, as well as drought-resistant in hot summers.
Hellebore blooms as soon as the snow melts
Gelliborus begins to bloom in March. At this time, there is an acute shortage in the garden flowering plants, so large hellebore flowers become a wonderful decoration for still snow-covered flower beds.
The plant can reach a height of 0.5 m. The basal rosette consists of opposite leaves on long petioles. Flowers rise above a rosette of leaves on a bare peduncle. The color of the petals is usually pale pastel colors.
Natural species of Gelliborus grow in the foothills of the Caucasus, forests of Adygea, the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Recently, the natural habitat of hellebore has been significantly reduced. The plant is intensively used for medicinal purposes.
Several varieties of hellebore are grown in open ground:
- Hellebore black(Helleborus niger) – the plant blooms with white or pinkish flowers.
Hellebore black
- Oriental hellebore(Helleborus orientalis) - compared to other varieties, it is characterized by later flowering.
Oriental hellebore
- Hellebore stinking(Helleborus foetidus) - unusual green flowers this plant has unusual beauty, but not a very pleasant aroma.
Hellebore stinking
- Hellebore Caucasian(Helleborus caucasicus) - natural habitat - the foothills of the Caucasus. The small, pale green flowers are not particularly beautiful, but this variety is so winter-hardy that it does not shed its leaves even in some winters. All parts of the plant are very poisonous.
Hellebore Caucasian
Advice! Hellebore: growing in decorative purposes carefully.
Planting a plant
Considering that hellebores are perennial plants and grow in one place without replanting for many years, you should choose a place for planting the crop in accordance with the requirements of agricultural technology.
Hellebores grow best in humus-rich soils, under tree canopies, where there is a lot of rotted foliage. The plant requires a shady location with some sunlight. Tree crowns that let through sunlight, are an ideal neighborhood for hellebore. Hellebore grows well when the plant is planted and cared for correctly.
By selecting right place for planting, you will ensure annual active flowering of the perennial in your garden
The soil for planting the plant must retain moisture: hellebore cannot tolerate a lack of moisture. Care should be taken that the soil for planting hellebore does not contain clay particles and is not compacted or heavy.
Planting of hellebore segments or bushes is done in specially prepared shallow square holes (approximately 0.25 x 0.25 m). A distance of at least 0.3 m is maintained between plants. Compost is added to the bottom of the pit. The roots of the hellebore are straightened in the hole, sprinkled with soil on all sides, pressed and watered abundantly. For approximately 3 weeks from the date of planting, abundant watering is required, while avoiding overflow and stagnation of water.
Hellebore care
Gelliborus does not require special care. It is enough to provide the plant with regular watering, mulch the soil in the ridges, and also carry out several fertilizing - that’s all the care for hellebores. Growing a perennial and using hellebore in the landscape design of gardens and parks is preferable because the plant does not require special care.
By mulching the soil around the crop, you will create comfortable conditions for it
Fertilizer and feeding
The plant responds to fertilization in the spring with abundant flowering and the development of magnificent foliage. In early spring you can fertilize the plant with bone meal and double superphosphate. Foliar fertilizing with microelements perfectly stimulates crop growth, which should be carried out with the establishment of warm weather, on dry and clear days.
Advice! It is not recommended to fertilize gelliborus with nitrogen fertilizers.
Plant propagation
Hellebore can be propagated by dividing bushes and seeds.
Seed propagation- only when planting freshly harvested plant seeds: old seeds lose their viability. Gelliborus should be sown in light, well-drained soil, planting the seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm. Flowering of plants grown from seeds is possible only in the 3rd year of cultivation.
Grown seedlings require several pickings. The plant is planted in a permanent place 2 years after sowing. Best time for planting hellebore in the garden - September.
Hellebore seeds
After adult hellebore bushes have flowered, you can plant division, to obtain planting material of the desired variety. To do this, simply divide the root system into several parts, dusting the cut areas with charcoal. Hellebore divisions are planted in a permanent place in pre-dug holes.
Methods for propagating hellebore bushes are selected depending on the type of plant. Black and oriental hellebores are easiest to propagate vegetatively, by dividing the bush or rhizome. At the same time, it is better to divide black hellebore in the spring, and oriental hellebore - in the fall. Stinking hellebore reproduces well by self-sowing; this species does not tolerate vegetative propagation.
Diseases and pests
Pests of the crop are aphids, snails and slugs, and rodents. It is not very often that you can see hop moth caterpillars on hellebores, gnawing the rhizomes of the plant. Control measures: use of systemic insecticides in accordance with manufacturers' recommendations.
Damage to hellebore leaves by a fungal disease
The leaves of the plant are damaged by the fungus Coniothyrium hellebori, which causes the formation dark spots. The disease progresses in damp and warm weather. The fight against the spread of the disease comes down to pruning diseased leaves and treating the plant with systemic fungicides.
Hellebore: combination with other plants
Hellebore grows and develops well under the shade of bushes and deciduous trees. In group plantings, the plant should be used only in shaded areas. An ideal combination of hellebore with early flowering crocuses, small-bulbous eranthis and scylla, low-growing early tulips, daffodils, and hazel grouse. The decorative foliage of hellebore harmonizes with variegated crops that develop in the summer.
Hellebore in the flowerbed
In landscape design, hellebore is used to design shady alpine slides. Early flowering of the crop allows you to decorate landscape composition in March, when the snow cover has not yet melted. Large decorative bushes hellebores form a wonderful combination in plantings different types, when dense clumps are formed, blooming with delicate flowers of pastel colors.
Hellebore in landscape design
It is allowed to plant hellebores in ridges and mixborders. The crop should not be planted in places where children can play: all parts of the plant are very poisonous.
About the properties of hellebore: video
Hellebore: photo
Evgeniy Sedov
When your hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)
Owners of private houses dream of growing plants in the garden that bloom all year round, are easy to care for, and resistant to pests. Does it look like a fairy tale? But there is such a plant, it has beautiful flowering and makes you happy bright inflorescences gardeners in the cold season - this is hellebore. Otherwise, it is also called a winter hut. He is not fussy when planting and caring. Winterweed belongs to the genus of perennial herbaceous plants Ranunculaceae family.
Common types of hellebore with photos
There are many legends and tales associated with the winter hut. So, according to one of them, his flowers were found by the wise men near the stable where Jesus Christ was born. According to another legend, Alexander the Great died from wintering poisoning. The flower is believed to be able to summon demons. Hippocrates used the plant as a cleanser. In ancient times, the flower was used to treat insanity and paralysis.
Modern research has revealed that hellebore contains such toxic substances such as veratrine, teratogen, cyclopamine, yerwin. When they enter the human body, they cause dizziness, thirst, a feeling of suffocation, swelling, and vomiting. Be careful when growing this plant on personal plot, make sure that small children or pets do not eat the plant. At the first symptoms of winterweed poisoning, consult a doctor.
The plant reaches up to 50 cm in height and has a well-developed root system. Decorative flowers and leaves of hellebore, located close to the ground, form a beautiful rosette. The tall stem of the plant is crowned with beautiful inflorescences, which all varieties have almost the same pale green color. The flowers are different inside bright colors- red, pink, brown and black. Common wintering species:
- Oriental;
- black;
- hybrid;
- Caucasian;
- blushing;
- smelly.
Hellebore black
The homeland of this flower is Central and Southern Europe. In nature, black winterweed grows mainly in mountain forests. The flower grows up to 30 cm, has dense dark green leaves. In Russia, black hellebore begins to bloom in early April. After flowering, the plant's foliage falls off, and a new one immediately grows in its place. In winter, the flower can withstand temperatures down to -35 C°. Large inflorescences of black winterweed have White color with a soft pink tint.
This flower grows in oak, beech, and pine forests of Georgia and the Krasnodar region. Caucasian winterweed grows up to 40 cm. The root is short and dark brown in color, the leathery leaves have a dark green tint. Inflorescences are green in color with a white or brown tint. Flowering period: late winter, early spring. The first flowers of Caucasian hellebore appear from under the snow.
Oriental hellebore
The homeland of this winter-hardy plant is Türkiye, Greece, and the Caucasus. The height of the eastern winterhouse reaches 30 cm. In winter, the plant can withstand temperatures down to -29 C°. The first flowers appear in mid-March - April. Inflorescences are white, cream, pink or purple. There are varieties of oriental hellebore with specks inside the flowers. The most beautiful are rightfully considered the eastern Montsegur, Hellen purple, and Ballard hybrid.
Christmas rose
The homeland of this perennial is the Caucasus Mountains and the Balkans. Experienced gardeners know what the hellebore called “Christmas rose” looks like. The description of this flower is found in ancient treatises. The plant grows up to 30 cm, has dense leaves of rich green color. The inflorescences of the Christmas rose have a white or reddish tint. The flowering period is mid-winter, for which the winter plant received its poetic name.
Plant propagation methods
Wintering varieties are widely used in landscape design. Flowers look great on mixborders, rock gardens, rockeries, forming bright accent on a personal plot. In winter, hellebore delights gardeners with its unfading greenery. The plant reproduces by seeds, dividing an adult bush. Since this perennial is frost-resistant, it can be grown exclusively in open ground. At home, the winter plant stops flowering.
Propagation by seeds
To grow a winter garden, take fresh planting material. When purchasing, pay attention to the time for collecting seeds; after 6 months they lose their viability. Sow flower planting material into prepared containers with loose, moist soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. When the seedlings have their first leaves, transplant them to a dark place. Move the strengthened plant to a permanent place after 2-3 years. Carry out the transplant in mid-September. The first flowering of a winter plant sown with seeds will begin in 3-4 years.
Dividing the bush
Since hellebore does not tolerate transplantation well and takes a long time to grow, it is recommended to use the vegetative method of plant propagation in rare cases. To divide the bush, choose an adult flower older than 3 years. Plants are transplanted after the flowering period. When planting a winter bush, maintain a distance between plants of about 40 cm. The soil should be loose, moist with good drainage.
When propagating hellebore by dividing the bush, be careful, as this plant is poisonous. A drop of juice causes irritation or burns on the skin. Therefore, when dividing a winter bush, wear gardening gloves and avoid direct contact of the plant with uncovered areas of skin. If flower juice gets on your body, rinse the area thoroughly. running water, consult a doctor.
Conditions for growing hellebore flowers
In nature, this frost-resistant perennial grows in dark places, with good soil ventilation and moderate humidity. For successful cultivation hellebore in your garden, create conditions for the plant that are as close to natural as possible. To plant winter huts, choose places protected from direct sunlight and with loose soil. Flowers grow beautifully in the shade of fruit and coniferous trees.
Hellebore thrives in nutritious, non-acidic soil. If the soil on your site is highly acidic, then lime it. To do this use slaked lime, chalk or dolomite flour. Stagnation of moisture has a detrimental effect on winter flowers. Be sure to take care of the presence of drainage and regularly loosen the soil around the flowers.
How to plant hellebores in spring
With proper agricultural technology, diseases and pests are not terrible for the winter garden. Spring is the optimal time for planting plants both vegetatively and as seedlings. When propagated by seeds, containers with seedlings are left in the garden until next spring. The main failures of gardeners when growing hellebores are associated with the acquisition of low-quality planting material and frequent transfers plants.
How to care for hellebore in open ground
Hellebore refers to unpretentious plants, but he doesn't like to be bothered. It grows best in open ground. Therefore, choose a place so that the plant does not have to be replanted. Keep in mind that the winter plant is capable of self-sowing. To successfully grow the plant, regularly mulch, feed it and loosen the soil around the flower. For feeding, use once every 3 months. bone meal or ash. At the end of the flowering period, mulch the winter garden. To do this use garden compost, leaf humus.
During dry periods, water hellebores to prevent the soil from drying out. From an aesthetic point of view, these plants, planted in groups, look good. Taking into account all the variety of flowers, landscape designers create entire compositions into which tulips, crocuses, hyacinths and chrysanthemums fit harmoniously. The flower looks good in combination with primrose, peony and Volzhanka.
At low sub-zero temperatures from -35 C or more, hellebore leaves are damaged. If you notice that this has happened, remove the frostbitten leaves. Don’t worry, damage to the foliage of the winter garden does not affect the further development of the plant and its flowering. The rhizome remains healthy and vigorous, and new winter flowers will delight you the same year.
If spots appear on hellebore leaves, spray with special preparations. Use fungicidal agents "Oxychom" or "Topaz". If the soil is too acidic, black spots appear on the winter leaves. To treat a flower, add lime to the soil and remove damaged leaves. If the plant is affected by non-infectious diseases, this indicates either an increased level of soil acidity, or an excessive amount of moisture, or improper nutrition of the hellebore.
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