Helleborus purpurascens
purple-flowered Christmas rose or hellebore
Breaking winter's silence with welcome colour, this botanical rebel emerges when most plants hibernate, producing rich purple-pink blooms that dance just above frozen ground.
Helleborus purpurascens transforms shadowy garden corners with its distinctive hairy leaves and provocative flowering period, beginning as early as mid-January and persisting through March with flowers opening incrementally along stems that stretch to 30cm (12in).
Perfectly adapted to partial shade and woodland edges, this compact deciduous perennial offers exceptional ground cover while remaining resolutely unbothered by deer and rabbits.
Helleborus purpurascens transforms shadowy garden corners with its distinctive hairy leaves and provocative flowering period, beginning as early as mid-January and persisting through March with flowers opening incrementally along stems that stretch to 30cm (12in).
Perfectly adapted to partial shade and woodland edges, this compact deciduous perennial offers exceptional ground cover while remaining resolutely unbothered by deer and rabbits.
How to care for Helleborus purpurascens:
Add lots of well-rotted leaf mould or organic matter to the planting hole. Cut the old leaves back down to the ground in January or February as this will show off the new emerging flowers to best effect. It will also help to reduce/minimise the spread of any foliar diseases (such as hellebore leaf spot) if present.
Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the base of the plant in autumn and provide a top-dressing of general fertiliser each spring. Cut off the seed heads to prevent inferior seedlings colonising.
Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the base of the plant in autumn and provide a top-dressing of general fertiliser each spring. Cut off the seed heads to prevent inferior seedlings colonising.
Flowering period:
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Eventual height:
0.3m
Eventual spread:
0.3m
Position:
Light shade
Rate of growth:
Average
Soil:
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness:
Fully hardy
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This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.
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Humans/Pets: Harmful if eaten; skin irritant
9cm pot
£12.99
available to order from autumn
Unavailable
3 × 9cm pots
£29.99
£10.00 each
available to order from autumn
Unavailable
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