Helleborus Walbertons Rosemary

The Hellebore or Helleborus Walberton's Rosemary (Walhero) is a wonderful plant born in England from the alliance between the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, and the Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis. Combining the qualities of its parents, this excellent novelty offers a fantastic flowering that lasts 5 months, from autumn to spring. Its flowers, well displayed, are stars that gradually change from pink veined with white to salmon tones before slowly turning green. This robust and very hardy perennial can be planted both in borders and under shrub beds, mixed borders, as well as in pots. Its flowers are very beautiful and precious in winter bouquets.

Helleborus Walberton's Rosemary is an evergreen herbaceous perennial plant, belonging to the family of ranunculaceae. Forming a clump 30cm (12in) tall and spreading over 50cm (20in) at minimum, this sterile variety, which does not produce seeds, stands out for the abundance and especially the duration of its continuous flowering, which starts in November and ends in April. Its abundant flowers proudly stand above beautiful glossy foliage, offering their yellow stamens to passers-by. They are composed of 5 petals with irregular edges, tapered to a point, arranged in an open cup. Born from dark pink buds, they bloom in light pink veined with white and speckled with dark pink, then gradually change colour and age beautifully. The foliage is composed of palmate basal leaves, slightly dentate, dark green and shiny. They are evergreen leaves 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) long, composed of 7 to 9 leaflets. They actually only live for 8 months and are regularly replaced by new leaves. Hellebores do not like to be moved once established, the young shoots taking some time to flower. The seeds are sown by ants.

Use hellebores as elements of an ancient tapestry, mixing them with brightly coloured woodland plants. They are well highlighted when planted near Pieris, small-sized rhododendrons in acidic soil, and under conifers (especially in windy locations). Also mix them with primroses, bleeding hearts, lungworts, foxgloves, or spring-flowering bulbs: crocuses, daffodils, snowdrops... You can also accompany them with ferns and shade 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 shaded areas, to enjoy their early flowers up close. They are suitable both as cut flowers and in borders, beds, or even containers... Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers but dry up.