Helleborus Ice N' Roses Marbled Mona Marble - Hellebore

Hellebore Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Mona Marble is a Christmas rose with exceptional qualities. A recent hybrid, obtained in Germany and appeared 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. It flowers for a long time, between December and April, with large flowers in dense colours. It produces up to 15 stems per plant, each developing several flowers on compact stems, of an elegant wine-coloured shade, a slightly purple and brown burgundy, awakened by yellow stamens. Its highly ornamental foliage is dark green marbled with white-cream, strongly dentate, dark and leathery. This hellebore will live for many years in the garden, in all climates.

Hellebores belong to the family of Ranunculaceae. 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 drastic selection. The flowers of Ice n'Roses hellebores come in 3 colours: red, pink, and white.

Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Mona Marble is a solid perennial plant, with remarkable longevity, fairly rapid growth, and vigorous vegetation, but sterile; its reproduction is only possible (and delicate) by division of clumps. Its habit is bushy, with a mature plant reaching 30cm (12in) in height and 50cm (20in) in spread at a minimum. From December to March-April, appear brownish stems not very tall, bearing purple-brown buds that open into 5-petalled flowers of a rich wine-coloured hue, with a satin texture, 6-7cm (2-3in) wide, and adorned in their centre with beautiful yellow stamens. The evergreen foliage consists of fairly tough 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 with a satin finish, marbled with white-cream. This Hellebore is hardy up to -20°C (-4°F) and tolerates a wide range of very varied soils, whether they are limestone or clayey, 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 and faded flowers. 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 understorey plants in brighter colours. They are well highlighted planted near evergreen bushes of modest size (Mahonia 'Apollo', Nandina 'Fire Power') and under conifers (especially on windy 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 borders, flower beds, and containers. Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers, but dry up.