Helleborus ‘Pink Frost’
Helleborus ‘Pink Frost’ is one of my favorite hellebores. I like it because it’s foliage is durable and has a slight jade tinge. It’s flower is a mixture of pink, green and white, and starts appearing in mid-late winter. All hellebores are evergreen (USDA Zones 5-9) and they are known to be deer resistant and perfect for a part shade location. Growing up in San Diego, I never saw hellebores (aka Lenten Rose), so when I saw them everywhere in Seattle I quickly got bitten by the hellebore bug! They are enormously popular for good reason.
Hellebores can tolerate drought once established, but need evenly moist soil for the first few years. My favorite companion plants are ferns from the Polystichum family (sword ferns), Hostas (plaintain lily), Heuchera (coral bells) and Hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass).
In terms of maintenance, hellebores can benefit from Spring pruning (after blooms have faded). You can prune back the dead flowers and stems, as well as any foliage that has turned brown underneath the plant. Usually, you don’t need to divide hellebores, they grow slowly and rarely take over.
I suggest buying hellebores in 1 or 2 gallon pots, versus quart size, because they are not fast growers and they will have more root mass to take hold if you start them out from at least a 1 gallon pot.
Which is your favorite hellebore and why? Leave a comment!
