Product Description
Helleborus 'Black Diamond'Series Name: Winter Jewels Series; Common Name: Lenten Rose, Hellebore
Zone 4 to 9, Part to full shade.
Plants reach 15 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide.
Like a diamond in the rough, this new hellebore shines in early spring with its dramatic slate purple to near-black, single blossoms measuring about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across. After setting seed, the petals turn a unique shade of slate green, continuing the interest long after the plants have finished blooming. The flowers are downward facing like most hellebores. The new foliage of this deep purple-black flowering selection is purple when it emerges in early spring before it matures into a lovely shade of green.
Hellebores are the harbingers of spring, blooming for six weeks or more beginning in late winter. They are often flowering during the Christian season of Lent, from which they get their common name, Lenten Rose. This is the perfect plant for naturalizing in moist, woodland areas where its extensive root system will spread as far as it is allowed.
Hellebores are enjoyable to grow because they are low-maintenance and disease/pest-free. Simply trim back last year's foliage in the spring. They can adapt to almost any growing conditions. Though they prefer rich, moist, organic soil, they will also grow in sandy or clay soil. They can even tolerate short periods of drought. The soil pH can range anywhere from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.
Hellebores are shade plants that need to be protected from the hot afternoon sun. They will grow in full shade under large deciduous trees as long as they receive full sun from winter to spring before the trees get their leaves.
To increase the number of hellebores in your garden, mulch them heavily in the fall. The new seedlings will grow in this mulch come spring and can then be transplanted elsewhere in the garden. WARNING: Hellebores are poisonous. Do not consume any part of the plant!