Helleborus hybridus Magic Apricot guttatus

Magic Apricot Oriental Hellebore guttatus brings a touch of charm to the garden and balcony with its large speckled flowers on a pastel apricot yellow background, whose colour and patterns vary from plant to plant and from flower to flower. This robust and very hardy perennial can be grown in borders, under shrubs, and in pots. Easy to grow, even in heavy and poorly drained soil, it thrives in shade or non-scorching sun, bringing softness and light. 

Native to central and eastern Caucasus, Helleborus orientalis subsp. guttatus, sometimes called Lenten Rose, is a perennial plant from the buttercup family, distinguished by the strong red to brown spotting on its petals. It is a hardy plant that can withstand temperatures as low as -15 °C, naturally growing in forests, thickets, and clearings up to 2,000 m altitude. The variety 'Magic Apricot' is characterized by an unstable, unpredictable flowering in a range of cream, yellow, pale orange, and red. The plant forms a compact leafy clump, 40 cm (16in) in all directions, of palmate, slightly toothed, dark green and shiny basal evergreen leaves, 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) long, composed of 7 to 9 leaflets. They only live for 8 months and are regularly replaced by new leaves. Between February and April, a bouquet of single cup-shaped and inclined flowers, 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, forms. They are inclined downward, allowing water to slide off like an umbrella to protect the heart of the flower from rotting. Hellebore is a bushy plant that does not like to be moved once established, with young plants taking some time to flower. The seeds are spread by ants.

Use hellebores as elements in an ancient tapestry, mixing them with woodland plants in brighter colours. They are complemented by Pieris, smaller-sized rhododendrons, planted under conifers (especially on windy sites), and surrounded by 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 be planted in groups, like a bouquet, near the entrance of the house, in shady areas, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for cut flowers and in beds, borders, or containers… Over time, Hellebore flowers do not fade like the majority of other flowers, but dry up instead.