The Helleborus niger is commonly known as the Christmas Rose and if you are looking for a plant to enjoy during the winter months, then this is the plant for you.  Not only does it bloom in Winter but it also loves to be covered in snow.  In fact, it is often recommended that you mulch this plant with an airy mulch if your area doesn’t receive a lot of snow.  A heavy mulch will only destroy it so keep that mulch light if you need to use it.

The Helleborus niger is a plant that can be a bit difficult to nurture.  Although it is hardy, it does not take transplanting very well and will go into shock if it is moved. Instead, it is better if you choose a spot for your Helleborus niger, preferably one that is in partial shade with a mildly acidic soil. It does well in soils that also have a fair amount of alkaline.  When you plant a Helleborus niger, you should make sure that you are planting it so the roots will go down and not spread out across the top layers of the soil. The root can go very deep, so also make sure that you have the depth to encourage proper growth. The last point about planting that you should take into account is the fact that the core of the plant should be about an inch under the soil for the best results.

When it comes to climate, as I mentioned, Helleborus niger is called the Christmas Rose. This means that it can thrive in wintry conditions and you can have this plant in your garden if you reside in the zones 4a to 8b.  They can survive in areas where the weather is not quite as cold but they do much better in containers in those areas and you will need to provide a light mulch for them.

The plant itself is a beautiful plant with full smooth leaves that are a blue-green in appearance. The plant blooms in the mid to late winter and may also bloom up until early spring.  The blooms themselves are a white to pink in color and they have a star-shaped petal arrangement similar to a climbing rose.

One point that must be made about the Helleborus niger is the fact that these plants are highly poisonous.  You should not use this plant in your garden if you have small children or pets that may eat a flower or leaf.  Also make sure that you never place this plant in an area where you have vegetable plants.  Care is important in ensuring that you can safely enjoy these beautiful plants.

Sirena Van Schaik

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This week, the plant that we are going to look at is Witch Hazel.

In the world of gardening, there are actually only a handful of plants that bloom during the winter months.  Sure, you can find plants that retain their color or even offer a new color to the gardening landscape but despite that burst of green, there really isn’t much else happening. The plants are dormant and all you can see is a touch of green poking out from under snow swept boughs.

Witch Hazel is one of the few plants that actually produces a bloom in the winter.  In fact, it is so common to see the long strap like blooms in winter that the plant is often called “Winterbloom” instead of Witch Hazel.

Witch Hazel itself, can be found in many different areas and there are actually two species in North America.  It can thrive in both zones 3 and 4 and does well in partial shade to full sun. The best soil for Witch Hazel is soil that has a higher acidic  level and is moist.  Witch Hazel really is a plant of all seasons and its gray to gray brown bark can be covered in reddish-brown new leaves, dark green spring and summer leaves and yellow leaves in the fall. Generally, Witch Hazel blooms in the late fall but it has been known to bloom right into late winter.

The blooms themselves have a spicy fragrance and they can be found in a number of colors including yellow; from pale to dark, red, and orange.  The flowers are spider-like in appearance and have shaft like petals.

Witch Hazel can be a wonderful addition to any winter garden and it can be used for herbal remedies, although I would never recommend using the plant as a remedy unless you are properly trained in using it.

And there is our first winter bloom.  Doesn’t it add just a hint of color to the otherwise white world out there.

Sirena Van Schaik

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