Hellebore Niger - The Christmas Rose

Hellebore Niger

Hellebore Niger has beautiful large, round, white flat-faced flowers above low-growing mounds of deep green foliage.

It’s perfect for growing at the front of a partially shaded border and makes an excellent cut flower – simply float the blooms in a bowl of water to display them.

For best results grow in moist but well-drained soil in partial shade.

Mulch annually with well-rotted compost or manure, and cut back the old leaves as flowers and new foliage appear.

 Like all hellebore's it  dislikes being moved once established, so should not be divided.

Given the right conditions, it will self-seed quite sufficiently to provide replacements.

• Position: partial shade
• Soil: heavy, neutral to alkaline soil
• Rate of growth: average 
• Flowering period: October to April
• Hardiness: frost hardy

• Cut the old leaves back down to the ground in January or February as this will show off the new emerging flowers to best effect. 
•  Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the base of the plant in autumn and provide a top-dressing of general fertiliser each spring.
• Cut off the seed heads to prevent inferior seedlings colonising.

Approx size  - 10cm