Hellebore x lemperii

The Lemper's Hellebore is a new type of hybrid resulting from cross-breeding between a Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) and a hybrid hellebore (Helleborus x hybridus). These new varieties of hellebores, with large, single and solitary flowers at the end of their sturdy stem, offer a beautiful range of colours, including white (Lemper's Hellebore 'Linda'), cream, as well as various shades of pastel pink to dark pink, and even burgundy red in the lovely 'Leila'. Unlike many hellebore cultivars, the "lemperi" have flowers that are well-displayed, less inclined towards the ground. Some of these selections start flowering at the same time as the classic Christmas roses, between November and December, even under the snow, until February. A beautiful evergreen foliage serves as a backdrop for the long flowering of the Lemper's Hellebore, forming a bouquet of leaves and flowers approximately 45 cm (18in) in all directions. Hellebores are planted in moist soil, in shade or partial shade, under deciduous trees or on the edge of a grove, but also in a beautiful pot on the balcony or terrace. Resistant to cold and unaffected by snow, requiring little water, Lemper's hellebores adapt well in all regions.