Brian Minter: Hellebores one plant that brings winter gardens to life

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As we decorate our patios for the holiday season, there are a few special winter plants that really stand out. Helleborus niger — more commonly known as the Christmas rose — is, perhaps, the most impressive. They start blooming in late fall, and their flowers often last well into spring.  Through intensive breeding, the Heuger family in Germany has expanded the niger hellebores into many interesting varieties. All of them are white with pink tints in their blossoms, but each one has a uniquely different flower form.

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There are also two significant improvements. They now bloom earlier, often in early November, and their blossoms stand more erect so the flowers can be fully seen, creating an even better show.

The Heuger family has branded this new group of hellebores as the Gold Collection. They have developed varieties which start booming in early, mid and late November. Unfortunately, supply issues have limited their availability on the West Coast. The most popular ones grown here are Helleborus Jasper, H. Jesko and H. Jacob — all blooming in sequence from early to late November.  These well-grown plants are available now in garden stores and can be set outside in containers or in garden beds.  These varieties are rated hardy to Zone 5, but with our sometimes fickle winters, newly planted hellebores will need to be protected by mulching them with bark, or if planted in containers, they should be covered with N-Sulate cloth during more severe cold spells.

I love the fact that most of these varieties have an abundance of buds that open in sequence over the winter months, and during milder winter weather, they make great pollinating plants for bees.

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The best garden location for hellebores is one that provides morning sun and afternoon shade. They also need well-draining soil with organic matter, like mushroom compost, worked into the soil as they are slightly alkaline loving.

The extremely popular red berried Gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen) is an ideal companion for Helleborus niger. Wintergreen is both a garden jewel and a wonderful container plant. Native to eastern North America and B.C., these relatives of the winter heather family (Erica carnea) provide spectacular winter colour, producing large, plump red berries that will last well into spring. The berries are edible and are the original source for wintergreen flavouring. Before eating, be sure to wash the berries thoroughly as growers may have used a fungicide on them to prevent rotting while in proximity during production.

The leaves of wintergreen can be used to make tea. It is interesting that they contain methyl salicylate, which is a compound related to Aspirin. When wintergreen flowers begin to open in early summer, they also attract bees, which is another added bonus for your garden.

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In Europe, a white berried wintergreen is still being grown. A few years ago, it was also available here, but it has now disappeared from the market. The beauty of these pinkish white berries is that they make a nice companion to the red berried varieties, especially when planted together.

Wintergreen is easy to grow as long as it has well-draining soil. It loves to be planted in a mix of soil and fine fir mulch to draw out its fine roots. This is where wintergreen is quite similar to heathers. A morning sun and afternoon shady location is ideal, although in production they are grown in full sun to produce an abundant crop of berries.

Winter flowering heathers would make an excellent third element in a seasonal combination. After last year’s severe winter cold, make sure to use the hardier Erica carnea varieties. Today, they can offer such a nice colour range from pure white and lovely pastels to vibrant pinks, reds and purples. They also come with rich dark foliage as well as pure golden and orange toned leaves. Between the flower and foliage colours they offer, winter flowering heathers make wonderful companion plants.

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Some of the best varieties which have been reliable over the past winters are Erica Kramer’s Red with its dark foliage and deep purplish red flowers, E. Silberschmelze, a dark foliaged variety with pure white blooms, and E. Golden Starlet, a beautiful white with golden foliage. I love E. Nathalie, a very dark purple, and E. Alice, with its extremely large pink flowers. Winter heathers are some of the most reliable sources of nectar and pollen for bees when the daytime temperatures hover around 10 C.

I can’t end without mentioning one more winter favourite — the male skimmia.  It plays nicely with all these other wonderful winter beauties. Skimmia Rubella and S. Rubinetta are two great varieties. Their deep bronze flower buds look very attractive all winter, and then they open into fragrant white flowers in early spring. Pollinators love them too.

All of these plants have similar planting requirements and can nicely share container space. They will also fit in well with all your winter greens and outdoor seasonal décor. I consider them a long-term investment in garden beauty and count on them for returning even more winter colour year after year.

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