Helleborus (x) ericsmithii Sid Ice®

The Helleborus nigercors Sid Ice® is a Christmas rose hybrid appreciated for its robustness and abundant flowering, extending from winter to early spring. An undemanding perennial plant, it will delight gardeners seeking long-lasting flowering. This sterile variety offers numerous cream-white flowers that, as they fade, turn green, taking on delicate shades. They appear in clusters above tough, toothed foliage, of a deep green. Resilient, this hellebore can thrive for many years, even in fairly dry soils in summer, under various climates.

The Helleborus nigercors belong to the Ranunculaceae family. They are horticultural hybrids resulting from the cross-breeding of Helleborus niger (the true Christmas rose), widespread on the forested slopes of the central and eastern Alps up to 1800 m altitude, on limestone soil, and Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican hellebore), native to mountainous Mediterranean massifs.

Helleborus Sid Ice is a robust perennial plant, remarkably long-lived, with rather slow growth, but sterile; its reproduction will only be possible through clump division, dedicating all its energy to flowering. An adult plant will reach 40 to 45 cm in height with a spread of 40-50 cm. From November-December to March-April, brown floral stems appear bearing buds that open into 6-7 cm wide flowers. The evergreen foliage consists of thick, quite tough leaves, 10 to 30 cm long, with brownish petioles. They are divided into 5 to 7 oval or lanceolate segments, strongly toothed, of a shiny dark green colour. This Helleborus is hardy down to -20°C and tolerates a wide range of soils, whether limestone or clay, humus-bearing or sandy, consistently moist or even dry in summer.

One of the main assets of Helleborus Sid Ice is its exceptional flowering that begins from the first year, with over twenty flowers per plant. Its ability to continuously produce new flowers creates a superb contrast between freshly blooming flowers and those drying out, without losing their charm. These flowers are perfect for creating bouquets. Helleborus is ideal for semi-shaded areas of the garden, where it can be paired with more colourful understory plants. It is enhanced at the base of variegated evergreen bushes like Photinia 'Pink Crispy', Osmanthus heterophyllus tricolor or Japanese Aucuba. For additional contrast throughout the seasons, it can be accompanied by cyclamens, ferns or Japanese Iris. Plant it in groups near the entrance, in a shaded area, to enjoy its early flowering. It suits borders, edging, and containers. Unlike most flowers, those of Helleborus do not wither, but elegantly dry out over time.