Hellebores: Winter's Delight

In early winter, when every other perennial and most shrubs have slumped into dormancy, there's Helleborus niger, often known as the Christmas rose, blooming gently into the cold. In February, when cabin fever has set the gardener nearly wild with anticipation, there's Helleborus x hybrida, also known as the Lenten rose, a'blooming. And in early spring, when daffodils and crocuses spring up, there too is the hellebore.

Depending on the species and variety, hellebores can bloom any time during December to May. You can't always count on when they'll bloom--just that they will, usually over a long period of time.

"I had a beautiful one I named Thanksgiving because it bloomed right at that time," says hellebore hybridizer Barry Glick. "But the next year it bloomed at Easter."

Glick, the owner of Sunshine Farms in West Virginia, has developed a Sunshine series, a large collection of vigorous hybrids to add to the already enormous family of these much-loved winter-blooming perennials. Some of the Sunshine hybrids, the subject of a naming contest, are shown below. Find out more about the plant, Glick and the Sunshine strain.