A gifted Buffalo gardener, Ellen Goldstein, called me this week to report that her hellebore is blooming now. She has a hybrid of Helleborus niger, called the Christmas rose (not related to roses in any way).
It is unusual to have blooms this early, but hellebores offer a long and varied period of winter interest. More of you probably grow Helleborus orientalis, Lenten rose, which blooms sometime around February even through the snow.
Since Western New Yorkers often have deep snow from December through March, but the depth and persistence vary, I suggest hedging your bets: Grow several different hellebores, so you’ll be sure to have some flowers poking through the drifts every month.
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