Blooms in winter

The winter months are the time of rest for many types of plants. The hibernation of your plants ensures that you have beautiful flowering plants again in spring time. We can’t get enough of beautiful blooms, we also want to be able to enjoy them in winter. Fortunately, there are also plants that bloom in the winter, we call these plants winter bloomers. Our favorite is the Helleborus. All Hello Helleborus varieties from Perfect Garden feel like a warm hug in winter time.

Hello Helleborus

At Hello Helleborus we offer a wide range of Helleborus. The Christmas Carol is our most popular variety. With the bright white flowers from October to February, this Helleborus gives the winter months extra color. Yes, you saw it right, flowering from October to February! The other Helleborus varieties flower from January to March. Due to the unique flowering time, this plant is often referred to as a Christmas rose. They belong to the group of perennials. Remarkable, because these friendly winter bloomers remain beautifully green in the winter. This is in contrast to most perennials.

Location

The Helleborus occurs naturally in forested mountains. Compared to the trees around the Helleborus, the plant is pretty small. This means that the winter bloomer stays in the shade for almost the whole day during summer time. In the autumn and winter, when the trees lose their leaves, the Helleborus is placed in the sun or partial shade. The leaves that fall from the trees around the Helleborus offer protection and nutrition (humus).

Cut flowers

We see different Helleborus species more and more often as cut flowers. This is also possible with the Helleborus Niger Christmas Carol.

Pruning

In principle this is not necessary. Because the Helleborus is evergreen, older leaves often become less fresh or very large. You can easily cut these leaves away and new fresh leaves will simply appear. Some Helleborus species such as the Orientalis, Niger and Niger Christmas Carol.

Frost

When it freezes, the Helleborus draws the moisture from its leaves and flower for protection. This makes the leaves hanging temporarily. When it gets above zero again, you will see that the Christmas Rose stands up again proudly.

The varieties

Our Hello Helleborus is divided into varieties As you have already read above, the Helleborus Niger Christmas Carol is the most popular due to the long flowering period. The basic variant of Helleborus is called the Helleborus Niger. We as Perfect Garden team have selected the following varieties in our range:

Helleborus Niger Christmas Carol

The Helleborus Niger originates in the mountains of the Eastern Alps, Apennines and Carpathians. The ‘normal’ Helleborus Niger flowers from the end of January to March. The ‘Niger Christmas Carol’ is an early flowering Niger. This species was created through years of crossing and multiplication with increasingly earlier Niger sorts. As a result, the Christmas Carol blooms from October to January. Because of the remarkable flowering period, the Helleborus is also often called a Christmas rose.

Helleborus Niger

The Helleborus Niger also originates in the mountains of the Eastern Alps, Apennines and Carpathians. A real European plant. This is the basic variant of our Helleborus range. The white flowers of the Helleborus Niger are 4 to 8 centimeters in size and sometimes turn pink. The leaves of the Niger are spatula-shaped but compared to the other varieties more long and narrow.

Helleborus Orientalis

The name Orientalis says it all; this type of Helleborus originates from areas more easterly than most Helleborus species. They can be found from Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey to central Asia. Mostly in mountainous areas. For hundreds of years, the Helleborus Orientalis has been one of the favorites of garden enthusiasts all over the world. As a result, many crosses have been made and the Orientalis is now available in many types, sizes and colors.

Helleborus Argutifolius

The Helleborus Argutifolius is native to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Cyprus. Here the perennial grows mainly in the mountainous regions. It can also be quite cold here in winter. This Helleborus stands out because of its shiny, prickly leaves and the hanging green-colored flowers.

Helleborus Sternii

The Helleborus Sternii, also called Corsican Helleborus, finds its origin on the mountainous islands in the Mediterranean. The Sternii is a cross between two other Hellebores from our Hello,Helleborus® range; the Lividus and the Argutifolius. The foliage and hardiness of the Sternii come from the Argutifolius, while the compactness and flower resemble that of the Lividus. We have the Sternii available in different types and colours.

Helleborus Foetidus

The natural habitat of the Helleborus Foetidus is closer to home. You can encounter them in the Belgian and French Ardennes, but they can also be native to Germany and England. This Helleborus is therefore different from most of the others in our Hello,Helleborus ® range. For example, the leaves are narrow and deeply incised and the leaf resembles ro the ones of a palm or fern. The flowers also attract many bees in late winter / early spring.

Helleborus Lividus

The Helleborus Lividus originates from the Spanish island of Mallorca. Now, however, the Lividus is rarely found there. This beautiful Helleborus is one of the least hardy varieties from our Hello,Helleborus® range. But don’t panic, they can survive a mild Western European winter with ease. The Helleborus Lividus is a beautiful and compact Helleborus with beautifully drawn leaves.