When I was growing up in western New York, we generally had the annual January thaw after a prolonged cold snap. In my part of the world this year, we had a prolonged thaw first, followed by a daunting cold snap. It hardly seems fair, and is, in fact, downright disheartening.
To avoid the blues, I bundled up and trundled out into the backyard. There are no snowdrops yet, though the English garden magazines are larded with fulsome prose about the ones opening up there. The tips of the daffodils are showing in the front beds, but I know they will not emerge for at least another six weeks. I haven’t yet acquired the witch hazel of my dreams to brighten up the dull winter days, but I do have hellebores. My spirits rose when I looked at the Christmas rose–Helleborus niger–and saw that it was full of buds. Two of them will open any day now, their white blooms braving the cold to announce that flowers have returned to the garden. Theirs is not the white flag of surrender, but the white banner of seasonal defiance.
Most gardeners are familiar with the Lenten rose, aka Helleborus x orientalis. As the common name suggests, it blooms later than Christmas rose and has a broader range of flower colors. My garden is full of them and, with luck, will be home to even more in the next year or so. However, right now, the Christmas rose is ascendant.
For those who haven’t seen them, Christmas roses are low growers, rising only 8 to 12 inches in height. The stems emerge from the ground separately from the leaves, on thick stalks. Each stalk bears one large buttercup-like flower, with either rounded or pointed petals, depending on the variety. As they age, the petals begin to blush, eventually turning dusty pink and persisting on the plants for well over a month. A mature plant can bear twenty or more flowers in the growing season. In my garden the palmate leaves are evergreen, though the oldest ones look quite ratty after a full season of growth. As the weather begins to warm up, I clip them off to neaten up the plant.
Spring is actually hellebore haircut time all over the garden, as the old, worn-out orientalis foliage gets lopped off as well.
Christmas rose is one of about fifteen hellebore species and hails from parts of Europe. The Latin “niger” species name is intriguing, because of the absence of black in stems, leaves and flowers. The roots are another story, however, and the species was once known as “black-rooted hellebore.” Other common genera, like Helleborus x orientalis and Helleborus foetidus, have white roots.
One of hellebore’s great virtues is that it is not appealing to deer or other marauders. All hellebores are poisonous and Christmas rose was once used for killing rats. Combined with other hellebore species, Christmas rose makes a nice groundcover for partly shaded areas where deer depredation has made gardening frustrating.
There are scores of varieties and colors of Lenten rose, but Christmas rose seems to be a little less amenable to the machinations of breeders. English, Japanese and German plant experts, especially those at the Heuger de Blomen Nursery, have produced a large number of flower forms, but so far they only come in one color—white. Still, you can pick and choose among the various forms available, including the beautiful ‘Wilder’, with very large, star-shaped flowers. ‘Winter Moonlight’ looks more like a single rose, with rounded petals and a prominent cluster of golden stamens. For lovers of double-flowered specimens, Japanese breeders have come up with ‘Double Fantasy’, featuring vigorous plants and fully double white flowers with somewhat pointed petals.
Christmas rose is very happy when grown in partly shaded garden areas or in pots. Its only important requirement is very good drainage. Those gardeners with heavy clay know the drill—improve heavy soil by digging in organic material, grit or sand prior to planting. If plants are already in, dig in soil conditioners around the plants as you can and use organic mulches, which break down and lighten the topsoil.
I am tempted to clip the fattest Helleborus niger bud and bring spring into my kitchen. However, I think that the flower will be happier outside—looking winsome and providing me with a reason to put on heavy clothes and leave the house to seek fresh air and fresh inspiration.
Pineknot Farms is one of many vendors of hellebores and carries a good selection of Helleborus niger. Find them at 681 Rockchurch Road, Clarksville, Virginia, 23927, (434) 252-1990; www.pineknotfarms.com. No print catalog.