Helleborus Ice N' Roses Marbled Macy Marble - Hellebore

The Hellebore Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Macy Marble is a recent hybrid of Christmas rose with exceptional qualities. Obtained in Germany and introduced in 2017, it combines all the qualities of its parents, including H. corsicus, H. niger, and H. orientalis. Very robust, it is resistant to cold, heat, and rather dry soils in summer. This variety offers petals beautifully edged with a fairly intense purple-pink, which gradually fades towards the centre of the flower invaded by white and yellow stamens. It flowers for a long time, from December to April, and produces up to 15 stems per plant, each developing several large flowers on compact stems. Its highly ornamental foliage is dark green, marbled with light green, strongly dentate, dark, and leathery. This hellebore will live for many years in the garden, in all climates.

Hellebores belong to the Ranunculaceae family. Helleborus x glandorfensis Ice 'N' Roses® is a complex horticultural hybrid belonging to a series of Christmas roses developed in Germany after many years of research and rigorous selection. The flowers of Ice 'N' Roses hellebores come in 3 colours: red, pink, and white.

Ice 'N'Roses Marbled Macy Marble is a solid perennial plant, with remarkable longevity, fairly rapid growth, and vigorous vegetation, but sterile; its reproduction is possible (and delicate) only by division of clumps. It has a bushy habit, with a mature plant reaching 30cm (12in) in height and at least 50cm (20in) in spread. From December to March-April, appear brownish stems not very tall, bearing white-purple buds that open into flowers with 5 petals in the same white and purple-pink duo, with a satiny texture, 6-7cm (2-3in) wide, and featuring beautiful yellow stamens in their centre. The evergreen foliage is composed of fairly leathery leaves, 10 to 30cm (4 to 12in) long, borne on brownish petioles. They are divided into 5 to 7 oval or lanceolate segments, strongly dentate, dark green in colour, marbled with light green. This Hellebore is hardy up to -20°C (-4°F) and tolerates a wide range of soils, whether they are limestone or clay, humiferous or sandy, constantly moist or even dry in summer.

This rather revolutionary hellebore is full of qualities. It should thrive in all our gardens, from the north to the south. From the first year, numerous flowers already appear on the plants. New flowers constantly form, creating a beautiful contrast between the open flowers and the faded ones. These flowers can be perfectly used in bouquets. It is also a good ground cover for partially shaded areas of the garden. Use hellebores like elements of an ancient tapestry, mixing them with brightly coloured understorey plants. They are well highlighted when planted near evergreen bushes of moderate size (Mahonia 'Apollo', Nandina 'Fire Power') and under conifers (especially on wind-exposed sites). Surround them with primroses, wood anemones, Corydalis, Dicentras, cardamines, or spring-flowering bulbs, and snowdrops. You can also plant them in groups, like a bouquet, near the entrance of the house, in a shaded position, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for beds, borders, and containers. Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers, but dry up.