2004 Theodore Klein Plant Award Winners

Lenten Rose is considered by plantspeople around the world as an easy-to-grow, winter or early-spring flowering evergreen herbaceous plant that is exquisite in flower and foliage. The large bell shaped white to purple flowers hang down; some call it drooping. The flowers used to be described as white- to rose- speckled, but breeders have made dramatic strides in very recent years to provide a diversity of colors including dark purple, almost black, red and even yellow. The blooms average 3-4 inches wide and have a relatively long bloom duration of 8-10 weeks. Hardy to zones 4-9; hellebores grow 15-18 inches tall. 

Helleborus x hybridus like partial to full shade and a moist alkaline soil, but are tolerant of soil environment and can tolerate a brief drought. Pruning to remove the winter-tattered foliage just before bloom in February to provide a better show for the emerging flowers is recommended.

Helleborus x hybridus does produce seed that can result in numerous plants under and around the original plant that require removal if they are not the same as the original. Seed is a form of propagation of Hellebores, but division will help ensure a desired hybrid is reproduced exactly as the mother plant.