Do you want to see the real miracle in your garden? To do this, it is not at all necessary to look for primroses in the forest, like the heroine of the fairy tale “12 months”. You just need to plant a perennial hellebore – and in the middle of the snow cover at your dacha, spring will come! Yes Yes! This plant, which is sometimes called the “Christmas rose”, blooms even against the backdrop of snow, delighting the hosts and surprising the guests.
How to plant and grow dark red hellebore
The hellebore plant got its name for flowering in the middle of winter and early forcing. In the south, already at the end of February, on the thawed patches after the thaw, a strong peduncle with fresh green leaves and abundant variegated, red or yellowish flowers, fresh and bright, looms.
The hellebore, or helleborus (ranunculus family), is known as the “winter plant” because it blooms very early.
In Russia, there are 4 types of hellebore, which are used as ornamental plants. Below you will find a photo and description of each of them.
Hellebore dark red . Perennial herbaceous plant of rhizome type, with leathery, palmately dissected leaves wintering under snow. The leaves, like all hellebores, are basal. Peduncles up to 40 cm tall, bearing large purple-greenish flowers. Mass flowering in early spring – in April. The plant is unpretentious , preferring partial shade .
When planting and caring for hellebore, remember that this plant loves loose, moist, well-drained soil with lots of lime. Does not need special care. In summer it tolerates heat and open sun.
Propagated by seeds and division of rhizomes. The vegetative method is simpler and faster. Rhizomes are divided in spring and autumn and planted in a permanent place, giving a feeding area of 30×40 cm. Flowering occurs in the 2nd-3rd year. Moreover, it can be both early in spring and late in autumn. A real colchicum!
Much longer, but giving rejuvenation to the plant, is the seed method, especially since the seeds have good germination, but only freshly harvested. Before planting hellebore with seeds, they need to be stratified. Sowing is done in spring in loose soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. Seedlings, although friendly, appear the next year. How should hellebore be grown during this period? Emerging shoots should be pricked and planted in partial shade. There they grow for 4 years, and only at that age they are transplanted or sold. Plants bloom next year, i.e. 5 years pass from sowing to flowering.
In one place, plants grow and bloom for at least 10 years. When growing and caring for hellebore, remember that the culture must be regularly fed, preferably with organic matter (humus, peat, compost) in the amount of 10-15 kg per square meter. m area.
Hellebore and for winter distillation, for which he received the name New Year’s rose . The rhizome is planted in pots with good soil. They put it in a greenhouse or a bright window and constantly water it. Temperature +10…+12ᵒС. In the spring, the forcing plant is planted in ridges.
Early flowering and love for partial shade determines the decorative use of this species among trees and shrubs . Their leafless state in early spring and bright spots of purplish-red, pink, white hellebore flowers provide an amazing contrasting effect.
Hellebore hybrid, Caucasian and false
It describes what the hybrid, Caucasian and false hellebore looks like and where it is best to plant these plants.
Hellebore hybrid. Quite a tall plant up to 60 cm in height, early flowering and overwintering under the snow. The leaves are large, slightly drooping, of different colors – white, pink, purple-red. Flowers solitary or 2-5. Likes moist, loose soils and partial shade.
Hellebore Caucasian. Relatively low (up to 45 cm) plant. The leaves are basal, long, petiolate, leathery, decorative in themselves. The flowers are large, green-yellow-brown. The plant is durable, not afraid of frost, but it does not tolerate thaws well, losing the ability of friendly, early flowering. Therefore, for the winter it is better to cover with dry leaves.
There is also a false hellebore. In fact, this is not hellebore, but black hellebore. Hellebore is very unpretentious, hardy, tolerates both hot sun and partial shade. It blooms for a long time from late July to September (and not like hellebore – early spring).
The flowers are blackish red with golden stamens. Because of the beautiful and very original flowers, hellebore is grown by amateur gardeners .
Especially effective on rocky hills. These are the most popular inhabitants of the shady areas of the rock garden and the rocky garden. Planted under the canopy of trees, over time they form large (up to 50-60 flower stems) clumps, which decorate the garden from early April until late autumn.
Group plantings look good along paths, in mixborders and borders . Plants with evergreen or variegated leaves are excellent for individual plantings, as well as in a group with other early-flowering perennials ( kupeno , peonies , primroses).