Helleborus hybridus ViV Vera

The Oriental Hellebore ViV Vera is an early flowering variety that produces beautiful double flowers from the month of November. This Lenten Rose bears beautiful light red flowers adorned with a contrasting centre of yellow stamens. It is a robust and very hardy perennial, easy to grow in all our regions, even in heavy soil. Mix it with other varieties that flower later to enjoy a decorative border all winter. You can also plant it in a pot for a balcony or patio, as long as you place it in a semi-shaded position, as it does not appreciate full sun, especially in southern regions.

The ViV Hellebores are varieties derived from in-vitro multiplication. Unlike varieties derived from seed multiplication, hellebores produced by in-vitro guarantee a flowering that is identical to the variety they come from. They therefore have the same genetic characteristics as the mother plant, are more vigorous and develop uniformly.

Hellebore Vera belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, which includes about sixty genera and approximately 2500 species, mostly herbaceous. The type species Helleborus orientalis is native to Greece, Turkey, and the central and eastern Caucasus. It is a perennial plant that hybridises very easily with other species to produce, through random seedlings, hybrids with diverse colours and forms, so much so that these hybrids are rarely given variety names. They are distinguished by their shape and colour characteristics. Oriental Hellebores are hardy plants that can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C, naturally growing in forests, thickets, and clearings up to 2,000 m (7ft) altitude.

Vera develops into a relatively compact and leafy clump, 45 to 55 cm (18 to 22in) tall and 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18in) wide. It is composed of basal palmate leaves, which are slightly dentate, dark green and glossy. These are evergreen leaves in winter, which actually only live for 8 months and are regularly replaced by new leaves. Vera blooms from November to December, earlier than most other Oriental Hellebore varieties. These are cup-shaped flowers, slightly inclined, with several rows of petals, characteristic of this group of hybrids. If they are inclined downwards, allowing water to slide off like an umbrella, it is to protect the heart of the flower from rotting. With colours ranging from dark pink to light red, these flowers have a contrasting yellow heart, consisting of a cluster of stamens. Hellebores do not like to be moved once it is established, with young shoots sometimes taking time to flower. The seeds are sown by ants.

Hellebores are valuable plants to enchant the winter season. To create superb decorative scenes throughout the season, plant them under trees with colourful foliage, such as Cercis canadensis Hearts of Gold, which combines early pink flowering (on bare wood) with beautiful heart-shaped leaves that change colour throughout the seasons. Under denser shade, you can also create a remarkable combination with Mahonia Soft Caress, a small shrub with fern-like foliage, whose bright yellow flowering from September to November will overlap with Vera's, while its decorative black fruits will persist later into winter.