Helleborus hybridus Super Yellow

Helleborus orientalis 'Super Yellow' is one of the rare varieties of hellebore that offers flowers of a light and pure yellow colour, adorned with pretty dark purple spots at the centre that enhance its intensity. Its semi-double corollas bloom in late winter, among young leaves tinted with acid yellow which will turn green over the weeks. Helleborus orientalis, true stars of winter, are robust and undemanding perennial plants once established: they thrive in partially shaded positions and good garden soil, even limestone or heavy soils.

Native to northwest Turkey to the Caucasus and northeastern Greece, Helleborus orientalis, sometimes called Lenten Rose, is a perennial plant of the Ranunculaceae family that hybridises very easily with other species.  These plants produce, through random sowings, hybrids with various colours and shapes to the point where no variety names are given to these hybrids anymore. They are distinguished by their shape and colour characteristics. Helleborus orientalis is a hardy plant that withstands temperatures down to -15°C (5°F). It grows spontaneously in forests, thickets, and clearings up to 2,000 m (2,187 yard) altitude, mostly in humus, on limestone subsoils.

The 'Super Yellow' variety slowly forms a compact and leafy clump of 40 cm (16in) in all directions. It is composed of palmate basal leaves, slightly toothed, dark green and shiny. These are evergreen leaves, 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) long, are composed of 7 to 9 leaflets. Considered evergreen, they actually live only 8 months and are regularly replaced by new leaves.

Between February and April, a display of semi-double flowers 4 to 6 cm (2in) in diameter forms in the centre of the foliage. These are cup-shaped flowers, initially inclined, then slightly upright. If they are inclined downwards to protect the centre of the flower from rotting, allowing water to slide off it like an umbrella, . In 'Super Yellow', the petals are a soft yellow, without any trace of green, with dark red spots at the base. Over time, Hellebore flowers do not wither like the majority of other flowers but dry out, taking on pretty faded tones. Hellebores do not like to be moved once established, as the young shoots take some time to flower. The seeds are sown by ants.

The flowering of hellebores may be one of the most anticipated joys of the gardener, as it accompanies the lengthening days that herald the end of winter. Use them as elements of an plant tapestry, mixing them with woodland plants in brighter colours. They are well highlighted when planted near Pieris, euphorbias that will bloom just after them, under conifers (especially on windy sites), and surrounded by wood anemones, corydalis (in non-limestone soil), dicentras, liverworts, violets, or early spring flowering bulbs (Crocus, early cyclamen, botanical narcissus), and snowdrops. You can also accompany them with ferns and shade-loving irises to create a beautiful contrast a little later in the season. They can also be planted in groups in a shaded position near the entrance of the house, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable both as cut flowers and in borders, edgings, or even containers,...

Each hellebore is a unique in flower colour: slight variations in colour may exist between two plants, which is normal and inevitable. However, if the difference is too significant and distorts the desired effect, we will refund or replace the affected plant.