Helleborus Ice N' Roses Marbled Milla Marble - Hellebore

Hellebore Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Mona Marble is a Christmas rose with exceptional qualities. A recent hybrid obtained in Germany and introduced in 2017, it combines all the qualities of its parents, including H. corsicus, H. niger, and H. orientalis. Very robust, it is cold-resistant, heat-resistant, and tolerant of rather dry soils in summer. It blooms for a long time, from December to April, with large flowers in dense colors. It produces up to 15 stems per plant, each developing several flowers on compact stems, of an elegant wine-coloured hue, a slightly purplish and brown burgundy, enlivened by yellow stamens. Its highly ornamental foliage is dark green marbled with white cream, strongly dentate, dark, and leathery. This hellebore will live for many years in the garden, in all climates.

Hellebores belong to the family of Ranunculaceae. The Helleborus x glandorfensis Ice 'N' Roses® is a complex horticultural hybrid belonging to a series of Christmas roses developed in Germany after many years of research and drastic selection. The flowers of Ice 'N' Roses hellebores come in 3 colours: red, pink, and white.

Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Mona Marble is a solid perennial plant, with remarkable longevity, fairly rapid growth, and vigorous vegetation, but sterile; it can only be reproduced (and delicately) by dividing clumps. It has a bushy habit, with an adult plant reaching 30cm (12in) in height and at least 50cm (20in) in spread. From December to March-April, appear brownish stems that are not very tall, bearing purple-brown buds that open into 5-petaled flowers of a rich wine-coloured hue, with a satiny texture, 6-7cm (2-3in) wide, adorned in their center with beautiful yellow stamens. The evergreen foliage is composed of fairly leathery oval or lanceolate segments, strongly dentate, dark green with a satiny texture, marbled with white cream. This hellebore is hardy down to -20°C and tolerates a wide range of soils, whether they are limestone or clay, humus-rich or sandy, constantly moist or even dry in summer.

This quite revolutionary hellebore is full of qualities. It should thrive in all our gardens, from north to south. From the first year, many flowers already appear on the plants. New flowers constantly form, creating a beautiful contrast between the blooming and faded flowers. These flowers can be perfectly used in bouquets. It is also a good ground cover for partially shaded areas of the garden. Use hellebores like elements of an ancient tapestry, mixing them with woodland plants in brighter colours. They are well highlighted when planted near evergreen bushes of modest size (Mahonia 'Apollo', Nandina 'Fire Power') and under conifers (especially on wind-exposed sites). Surround them with primroses, wood anemones, Corydalis, Dicentras, cardamines, or spring-flowering bulbs, and snowdrops. You can also accompany them with ferns and shade-loving irises to create a beautiful contrast, a little later in the season. They can also be planted in groups, like a bouquet, near the entrance of the house, in a shady location, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for borders, flower beds, and containers. Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers, but dry up.