Helleborus Ice N' Roses Marbled Red - Hellebore

The Hellebore Ice 'N' Roses Red is a quite sensational Christmas rose obtained in Germany and introduced to the market in 2017. This particularly robust hybrid combines all the qualities of its ancestors, including Mediterranean hellebores (from Corsica and the Balearic Islands), the Christmas rose (H.niger), and the Lenten rose (H.orientalis). The result is a plant that is very resistant to cold, heat, and rather dry soils in summer, offering a very long flowering period between December and April, in the form of large intensely colored flowers. This variety produces up to 15 stems per plant, each carrying several large flowers with a rich pink-purple colour and brown reflections. They bloom on compact stems above a beautiful foliage that is 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 glandorfii 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.

The Ice 'N' Roses Red hellebore is a solid perennial plant, remarkably long-lived, with fairly rapid growth and vigorous vegetation, but sterile; its reproduction will only be possible, and delicate, through division of clumps. It has a bushy habit, with a mature plant reaching a minimum height of 30cm (12in) and a spread of 50cm (20in). From December to March-April, brownish stems not very tall appear, carrying purplish-violet buds that open into 5-petalled flowers with a satin texture, 6-7cm (2-3in) wide, with beautiful yellow stamens in their center. The evergreen foliage is composed of somewhat leathery leaves, 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12in) long, borne on brownish petioles. They are divided into 5 to 7 oval or strongly dentate segments, of a satin dark green color. This Hellebore is hardy down 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 quite revolutionary hellebore is full of qualities. It should thrive in all our gardens, from the north to the south. From the first year, many flowers already appear on the plants. New flowers continue to 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 semi-shaded areas of the garden. Use hellebores as elements of an old tapestry, mixing them with brightly coloured woodland plants. They are well highlighted when planted near small evergreen bushes (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 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 a shaded location, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for flower beds, borders, and containers... Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers but dry up.