‘Christmas Rose’ Helleborus niger
Happy November! The air is certainly starting to feel a little bit crisper, and you can almost hear the jingling bells of Christmas approaching! To help you to get that festive feeling, we thought we would bring you a ‘Plant of the Month’ coated in holiday magic – the Christmas Rose!
Introducing the Christmas Rose, and if you don’t already know about it, it certainly is time to… This elegant, resilient, and thankfully long-lasting flowering plant is the perfect choice to brighten up your winter landscape.
Known as Helleborus niger, this beauty boasts delicate, cup-shaped blooms in a seasonal snowy white shade, evolving to soft pink with age. These blooms grow abundantly to make a real impression across the festive period and beyond, year after year – the flowering shows even get bigger and better!
Even the foliage is delightful, rich and thick with dark green leaves. A real sight to behold, with a much-appreciated ability to flower through the dull winter months, at a time when most of your other varieties are lying dormant.
It would be a shame to leave Christmas Rose outside during Christmas festivities, so why not let it join in? Use it as a magical centrepiece by displaying it in a decorative pot wrapped in festive wrapping paper.
Just be sure to plant them back in the garden once January rolls around, as they are winter hardy.
Plus, they are sure-fire ‘do-gooders’ in the garden, having been labelled by the RHS as ‘Plants for Pollinators’, so are excellent for attracting beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies. Create your very own hub of buzzing activity.
Tempted to grow your own Christmas Roses? Here are some tips to get your grow started:
- Plant in rich, well-drained soil in dappled shade and provide shelter from strong, cold winds.
- Plants are not happy if left in very dry or waterlogged soil. Incorporate plenty of well-rotted organic matter into the hole when planting, along with horticultural grit if soil conditions are heavy.
- Water regularly during dry spells and mulch annually with leaf mould, chipped bark or other organic matter in autumn.
- Remove old leaves in late autumn or early winter as flower buds emerge so that the flowers can be seen.
