Helleborus niger 'VERBOOM BEAUTY'

Hellebore (Lenten rose, Christmas rose) is not a new plant to Czech and Slovak gardens. I remember those flowering stems that surprisingly pushed through the snow in late winter and I kept asking grandma how come that a plant can flower while there is still snow on the ground. These evergreen perennials are still very popular, mainly thanks to newly hybridized varieties with fantastic flowers.

Verboom Beauty is a small jewel among winter blooming hellebores. It was bred by Kwekerij Verboom B.V. from the Netherlands and boasts incredible number of flower buds even on young plants – a one-liter pot can hold as many as 20 to 30 buds. They open into 6-8 cm large, pure white, head-up (not nodding) flowers with yellow stamens. Under good conditions – in mild beginning of winter they may start blooming before Christmas and will continue in frost-free periods until later winter. Or they can be grown in pots and moved inwards to decorate the Christmas table.

Stems are short, only some 10 cm tall. Evergreen leaves are leathery, palmate, and deep green and form a compact clump. They may be tired late in the season and if they are unsightly you can remove them before flowering to enhance the flowering display. In spring new foliage will emerge.

Hellebore likes heavy, evenly moist, neutral to alkaline, rich in humus soil in dappled shade or filtered sun. This hybrid will prefer at least half a day with direct sunlight. Fertilizing will increase flowering and help the leaves remain strong and nice throughout the winter. Grow it somewhere near your house entrance or close to the window you look out of frequently so that you can enjoy the plant when it starts flowering since at that time the weather outside is not yet ideal for walking around the garden. The flowers can cheer up a number of grey and dull days of late winter therefore thumbs up for hellebore! Harmful if eaten. Hardy to about -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 11-01-2021