Growing hellebore. Hellebore (photo) planting and care, useful properties
doctor of agricultural sciences, professor botanists of the RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev
hellebore ( Helleborus) is a rather small genus, numbering, according to different authors, from 10 to 20 species. Many species are found with 4-5 names, such as Caucasian hellebore. In addition, they quite successfully produce interspecific hybrids.
Origin of the Latin genus name Helleborus has two versions. According to one of them, it is associated with the name of the Helleborus River, on the banks of which it was found, according to another, with the Greek verb "helen"- kill and "bora"- food, that is, literally - killing food, which indicates its toxicity.
This is the first known in the history of wars, a chemical agent was used in warfare in 600 BC. e. ancient Greek troops led by Solon. During the war with the Syrgarians, Solon with his soldiers settled down on the banks of the Pleistus River, which flowed through the city of Cirra. To conquer the city, Solon ordered to block the river in order to leave the enemy without water. However, the Sirgarians did not give up and withstood the siege for a long time. Then Solon ordered to start collecting hellebore roots. A large number of these roots were thrown into the reservoir, formed after Platus was blocked. Then, by order of Solon, the poisonous stream was directed along the former channel. The unsuspecting Syrgarians began to drink this water, and soon general poisonings began in the city. The besieged could not resist the enemy, and the city surrendered to the mercy of the winner.
At the same time, many ancient authors - Plato, Demosthenes, Aristophanes - mentioned hellebore in their writings as medicine. This is not surprising: many poisons in small doses are medicines. But the dose was not always observed, and then little was known about the effect of cumulation (accumulation in the body) of drugs. According to one of the versions, Alexander the Great "healed" hellebore too intensively. Although this is only one of the hypotheses of his death.
The Russian name hellebore is due to the fact that it blooms in early spring, even in frost. Academician P.S. Pallas, studying at the end of the XVIII century. flora of Russia, having met this plant from the Lyutikov family, was surprised at its endurance and gave it this name. In the people it is also called the winter hut.
Caucasian, blushing, black and green
Perhaps, of all the available ones, only 2 species winter well with us - the Caucasian hellebore and the blushing hellebore.
Hellebore Caucasian (Helleborus caucasicus) grows in the Caucasus throughout Georgia, in the southwest Krasnodar Territory in oak, beech and fir-spruce forests at an altitude of up to 1000 m above sea level, on sunny slopes. In the same place, it is barbarously destroyed for bouquets and as a means for losing weight.
It is a perennial rhizomatous evergreen herbaceous plant 25-50 cm high. The rhizome is short, horizontal, with numerous long cord-like dark brown roots. Stems solitary, slightly leafy, simple or branching at the top. Basal leaves are solitary, long-petiolate, dissected into 5-11 pointed broadly elliptical lobes with a serrate-toothed edge. Stem leaves (1-2) sessile, smaller and smaller than basal leaves, dissected. Flowers 5-8 cm in diameter, located at the top of the stem. The perianth consists of 5 petaloid, broadly ovate, horizontally procumbent leaflets 2-4 cm long, remaining with fruits, differently colored in some varieties (from white-green to greenish-brown). Nectaries (modified petals) are golden or golden green. Stamens numerous, pistils 3-10 with upper ovaries. The fruit consists of 3-10 unfused, leathery leaflets with long spouts when mature, which open along the ventral suture. Seeds oblong, cellular, black, 4-5 mm long.
In European editions, the Caucasian hellebore is mentioned more often under the name Eastern hellebore ( Helleborus orientalis, syn. Helleborus ponticus, Helleborus guttatus, Helleborus kohii, Helleborus abchasicus, Helleborus officinalis) . From other representatives hellebore abkhazian (Helleborusabchasicus) differs in dark pink coloring of flowers.
Contains bufadienolides, saponin complex, helleborine. Included in the homeopathic pharmacopoeia.
Along with the Caucasian hellebore, another species winters in our country - hellebore reddish, or purple - Helleborus purpurascens. It is found in deciduous forests in Ukraine and Moldova. Its leaves are palmately dissected into 5-7 lobes, each of which is deeply cut into 2-3 lobes of the second order. The flowers are dirty purple on the outside, with dark veins, and greenish-violet-purple inside.
Known in Western Europe hellebore green (Helleborus viridis) and hellebore black (Helleborus Niger). In addition to the above, there are: stinky hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), hellebore rotundifolia (Helleborus cyclophyllus), bush hellebore (Helleborus dumetorum) and etc.
Hellebore smelly (Helleborus foetidus L.) - grows in Western and Southern Europe. The roots contain a complex of steroidal saponins: heleborin (Heleborin), ranuncoside (Ranuncoside) - about 4-9%. V folk medicine In some European countries, it was used as an antihelminthic and laxative for constipation. The dry root is included in the homeopathic pharmacopoeia.
Hellebore black (Helleborus Niger L. ) is found in southern Europe, primarily in the alpine regions. It is often called the Christmas rose (Christrose) or snow rose, which is due to the fact that in European countries it blooms in winter, just in time for Christmas. V ancient greece one of its names is "sneeze root". It was used for confusion and mental illness. According to legend, the shepherd cured the three daughters of King Proitos of Argos from insanity with it. They imagined themselves as cows, and the shepherd treated them with an infusion of hellebore root in milk.
The most interesting thing is that with its toxicity, the plant was used for many ailments: mental illness, inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract, acute indigestion, heart disease, gastrointestinal tract.
In addition, he is very popular. ornamental plant, which decorate not only the garden, but also used in all kinds of Christmas compositions.
Hellebore green (Helleborus viridis L. ) is found in Europe and North America. Contains bufadienolides (0.5-1%), saponin complex, geleborine, alkaloids (0.1-0.2%) - celliamin, sprintillamin (Sprintillamin)
What unites hellebore with a toad
Rhizomes and roots of plants contain cardiac glycosides (0.2%), of which the main one is desglycogellebrin (corelborin K), which splits into rhamnose and hellebrigenin during hydrolysis. From the roots of reddish hellebore, the bioside helleborin (corelborin P) was isolated in an amount of 0.2%, which decomposes into aglycone, rhamnose and glucose during hydrolysis. Saponins have also been found.
The cardiac glycosides contained in hellebore belong to the group of glycosides with a six-membered lactone ring. They are called bufadienolides because they were first isolated from toad venom ( Bufo means toad in Latin. They are close to sea onion glycosides. Like other cardiac glycosides, they enhance the contractile properties of the myocardium, in addition, they act on the central and peripheral nervous system, diuresis.
In medicine, hellebore preparations have been tried to be used for cardiovascular insufficiency of 2 and 3 degrees. Corelborin K strengthens cardiovascular system, lengthens diastole, slows down the heart rate, increases vascular tone and blood flow velocity. It is almost not destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract. Corelborin P is similar in biological activity to corelborin K, but is less toxic, acts faster and accumulates less.
Currently, hellebore is not used in scientific medicine.
It's easier to be poisoned than to be cured
Hellebore has long been used in folk medicine in many countries, mainly as a heart and diuretic. It was also used by Avicenna. His Canon states that this plant helps in the treatment of paralysis, joint pain, and if brewed with vinegar, it will soothe toothache and headache. Recently, it has also been used to combat excess weight. There was also such a fashion for its use. As a result, Caucasian hellebore almost exterminated in nature and many patients of cardiology departments. When using hellebore, the probability of poisoning is much higher than being cured. Its cardiac glycosides are highly accumulated in the body.
In addition, in the manufacture of finished dosage forms carry out standardization of raw materials according to the content of active substances. At home, this is impossible to do, and cardiac glycosides in the roots, depending on the conditions of growth and drying, can be from 0.0 to 0.2%. Accordingly, the effect may be absent (at best) or be very strong. Therefore, instead of prescriptions, we give symptoms of poisoning: nausea, salivation, tingling in the mouth and larynx, heaviness in the head, dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, slow pulse, dilated pupils, abdominal pain, diarrhea. The next stage is excitement, convulsions, delirium and death.
First aid is the same as for poisoning with heart drugs - gastric lavage with a suspension of activated charcoal, or 0.2-0.5% tannin solutions, give saline laxatives, make cleansing enemas. More serious help can only be provided by a doctor in a hospital setting. Therefore, do not delay calling an ambulance.
Hellebore on the plot
The plant is very unpretentious, in one place it can grow for many years. For hellebore, it is better to choose a site in partial shade with loose, fertile and well-permeable soil. Areas where water stagnates in spring or after heavy rain are not suitable. But at the same time, hellebore prefers to exist in a mode of sufficient moisture and in dry times it must be watered. If the soil in the area is too acidic, then it must first be limed.
The plant is most easily propagated by dividing the rhizomes. This operation is performed after fruiting - in late August - early September. In the spring, it is better not to do this, since the plants start growing very early and without having time to take root normally, they try to bloom. Delenki take root for a long time, after planting they need to be watered as needed, especially if August and September turned out to be dry. Young hellebores begin to grow actively only after a year.
By seeds, this plant reproduces rather slowly, although self-sowing under certain conditions can be quite plentiful. In order for the seeds to germinate, a two-stage temperature treatment (stratification) is required: 5 months at a temperature of 20 ° C, then 3 months at a temperature of 0 - 2 ° C. In this case, light is a necessary factor.
The easiest way is to sow fresh seeds in the month of July in a pot dug in a shady place of the plot and they will sprout next spring. This is less troublesome than lengthy stratification. Young plants tolerate transplant well and good care bloom at 3-4 years of age.
Since ancient times, our ancestors believed that the hellebore growing near the house would protect against magic and the attacks of dark forces. Later, they began to equate it with a miraculous plant that helps to overcome many ailments, can cleanse the body and even helps fight excess weight problems.
Hellebore, which even an amateur gardener can care for, blooms early and very beautifully. For this, it is also called the "Christmas rose" or "Rose of Christ." From the article you will learn what kind of hellebore plant, its description and everything about it.
Did you know? With the help of hellebore, skinny people can normalize their body weight by gaining the necessary one.
Hellebore: plant description
The flower grows up to 50 cm in height. Its rhizome is thick and short, and the stem is slightly branched. Basal foliage can be leathery, long-leaved, palmately dissected or stop-shaped. Cupped hellebore flowers are formed on a stem on a long stalk from January to the end of June. What are mistaken for flower petals are the sepals, and the former have evolved into nectaries."Rose of Christ" is full of colors- shades of white, yellow, pink, purple, violet and even ink, so hellebore looks very impressive among a snowy garden. There are also bicolor varieties. Flowers are found both with a smooth surface and with a terry. 
Due to its early flowering, hellebore is very loved by many gardeners, because after a long cold and colorless winter period it is so nice to contemplate your site, decorated with bright flowers. Hellebore, in addition to its special ability to bloom earlier than most other flowers, has some other advantages, so one cannot but mention the high winter hardiness and drought resistance.
Important! Those who want to grow hellebore in their garden should be extremely careful, as it is very poisonous, like all plants from the ranunculus family!
Where is the best place to plant hellebore?
Since hellebore grows best in shady areas, its planting should be carried out under shrubs, trees, in rocky gardens and rock gardens. The flower also grows in sunny areas, for example, along paths, it is only necessary to be careful about watering so that it does not suffer from severe drought. Under the crowns garden trees hellebore grows into a dense shrub, forming large clumps of 70 stems. And after flowering, such a plant remains original decoration garden from spring to late autumn. If your plans include the design of garden paths and borders, remember that hellebore grows slowly and grows even longerI am. To achieve the expected effect, you will have to purchase more than ten plants. When planting hellebore, consider the distance between the holes - 40 centimeters.
Did you know? The hellebore is called the "rose of Christ", because according to one of the legends, the magi discovered it next to the barn where Jesus Christ was born. It was from that time that hellebore bloomed in the south in the middle of winter.
Growing hellebore
In fact, growing hellebore is not at all difficult, but there are subtleties, as with other buttercups.
How and when to plant hellebore?
In one place, hellebore bushes grow quietly up to ten years, and he is very critical of transplanting. Therefore, the place should be chosen with great responsibility. The most suitable soil for it is moist, loose, drained clay with a neutral reaction. Hellebore looks most impressive when planted in small groups. When flowering, it forms a small island in the middle of a snowy or dull sleeping garden. The hellebore, which is planted in April and September, does not oblige you to provide it with scrupulous care, like other ornamental or delicate flowers planted in open ground.
Did you know? In the Middle Ages, hellebore was thought to protect against witches and sorcery.
Wells for planting hellebore are prepared with a size of 30 cm³ and are located at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. This is necessary to take into account the distance with further growth of the bushes. Half of the hole should be filled with compost. Lower the rhizome into the hole, holding the bush with one hand, and sprinkle with earth on top, tamp and water. Water the hellebore often and abundantly for three weeks.
Hellebore reproduction
Hellebore reproduces vegetatively and generatively, but the most commonly used method is by seed. Seeds are sown as soon as they are harvested after maturation. As a rule, this happens at the end of June. Sow hellebore to a depth of 15 mm in loose, moist and humus soil. The first shoots appear in March next year. After the seedlings grow up, one or two pairs of leaves appear. After that, they need to dive into a flower bed, which is located in partial shade. There the hellebore will grow for another two or three years. Flowers begin to appear when the hellebore has reached the age of three, and planting and caring for it were carried out in a permanent place. Transplant the plant in April or September.
Important! Reproduction of stinky hellebore occurs by self-seeding.
Like other garden flowers, hellebore can be propagated and bush division. After the flower has faded, in the spring, five-year-old bushes should be dug up and the rhizome divided into several parts. Process the slices with crushed coal and plant them in the holes, which should be prepared in advance. In spring, black hellebore is also propagated in this way, and in autumn it is better to do this with eastern hellebore. Did you know? There is confirmed evidence that hellebore was harvested for export in Russia as early as the 17th century.
How to care for hellebore?
In order for the hellebore to grow beautiful, thick and bushy, caring for it should not be overly complicated, it is enough to remove all old and dead leaves. In this way, you will prevent infection of young leaves and buds with fungal blotch. New leaves appear on hellebore only after flowering. After the flowers wither, you need to mulch the soil around the hellebore with peat and compost. In the heat, the plant must be regularly watered, often loosened and weeded the soil around it. Hellebore should be fed with bone meal and mineral fertilizers twice a season.
Did you know? The most beautiful hellebore is the Corsican variety. It reaches a height of one meter.
Hellebore pests and diseases
Dangerous pests for hellebore are gastropod mollusks of various kinds - these are slugs and snails that gnaw on its leaves, as well as aphids, caterpillars of the hop moth and mice. Against the latter, poisoned baits are used, which are laid out in the places of their alleged appearance. Slugs and snails are harvested by hand, and insects are killed with insecticides. Against aphids, treatment with Antitlin and Biotlin helps well, against caterpillars - Aktellik.
Did you know? The first mention of hellebore in books dates back to the 16th century in connection with its use as a " chemical weapons". To date, hellebore is not used in traditional medicine.
Dangerous diseases hellebore is downy mildew, ring spot and anthracnose. Spotting spreads aphids, this is the main reason that you should not allow its presence in your garden. Parts of plants that are damaged by spotting should be cut and burned, and after that the hellebore bushes and the entire area should be treated with fungicides.
Since ancient times, people have believed that hellebore, planted near the house, is able to protect against magic and the attacks of evil spirits. Over time, they also started talking about him as a miracle doctor who helps to overcome various ailments, cleanse the body and even lose weight. And hellebore, planting and caring for which even a beginner can do, blooms early and is so beautiful that it was dubbed a Christmas rose.
Types of hellebore
In nature, thickets of evergreen hellebore (helleborus) from the buttercup family are found in Western Asia, Central Europe and the Mediterranean. The perennial is resistant to cold and drought and begins to bloom when the flower beds are still empty. Large inflorescences reach a diameter of 8-12 cm, and the color of the petals depends on the type and variety of the plant.
Perhaps the most spectacular representative is black hellebore. In nature, it blooms in December, but in our latitudes - closer to March. This species got its name because of the thin roots, which really have a black color. Flowers on a fleshy stem are usually solitary. The petals are completely snow-white or with a greenish and pale pinkish tint, the stamens are yellow. Basal leaves are dense, dark green in color, with a glossy surface. The plant grows up to 50 cm in height.
There are several varieties of black hellebore. Potter's Wheel has snow-white flowers up to 12 cm in diameter. Pgaecox blooms in pale pink, and will decorate an empty flower garden in late autumn. The white petals of the White Magic variety gradually turn red.
The eastern hellebore is no less attractive, it blooms one of the first, when the soil has not yet thawed from the winter cold. The view is unpretentious and frost-resistant, will please with a wide palette of shades. Inflorescences can be cream, white, purple, yellow-lemon, pinkish, the color of Burgundy wine. Sometimes the petals, resembling an asterisk, are speckled, and the flat dark green leaves look like an open palm.
The Caucasian hellebore is not so beautiful during the flowering period, but the foliage retains its decorative effect until autumn, and sometimes, in winters with little snow, even longer. The plant is poisonous, so it should be handled with extreme care. However, this species is often used for medicinal purposes. The smelly hellebore does not smell very pleasant, however, we love gardeners for their exotic appearance. It has multiple pale green flowers and deeply cut leathery leaves.
Among the selective varieties, there are stunning specimens, for example, with blue-black petals or terry.
How to plant
Hellebore does not like transplants, so it is advisable to immediately choose a suitable place for him where he can live without problems for about 10 years. There are no special requirements for the soil, but it is better if it is loose and well-drained. Helleborus prefer partial shade, they can be safely planted under spreading trees or among shrubs and. Then in the summer they will be protected from the hot sun, and during the flowering period they will receive enough sunlight. In addition, falling leaves and needles will serve them as mulch.
reproduction
Hellebore can be propagated by the seed method or by dividing the bushes.
Growing hellebore from seeds. It is not recommended to store seeds for a long time, as they will quickly lose their germination. Therefore, immediately after harvest, plant them for seedlings in loose and moist soil, deepening by about 1.5 cm. Shoots will appear in March. It is time to dive into a slightly shaded place for grown plants with a couple of leaves, but the bushes will bloom only after 3 years. During this time, they should be transplanted to a permanent site, preferably in September. True, sometimes seeds are planted directly in open ground in June.
Division. Propagating hellebore in this way is easy. In the spring, when the bush has already faded, the root is divided into parts and each of them is planted in previously prepared holes.
The rules for planting hellebore are the same for delenki, and for bushes grown from seeds. Pits are made at a distance of about 30 cm, a little is laid out on the bottom. Carefully holding the plant, it is necessary to fill the space with soil, gently tamp it down and moisten the area. For the next 20 days, it is important to remember to water regularly.
Helleborus black and oriental reproduce well by division. Smelly hellebore responds poorly to root division, but it easily spreads on the site by self-sowing.
Planting and caring for hellebore is a simple task. The plant needs regular watering. To keep moisture in the soil with the onset of heat, after the bushes fade, the area around is mulched with compost. In gratitude for the top dressing, the helleborus will bloom more magnificently. Bone meal can be used as a fertilizer every 3 months.
Slugs, snails, caterpillars, rodents and aphids can become a threat to the plant, then insecticides will help out. If the leaves are visible dark spots, which gradually increase - they were probably struck by a fungal infection, which most often happens in wet weather. It is better to remove diseased leaves and treat the bush with a fungicide.
Perennials that are properly cared for (watered on time, do not forget to fertilize, etc.) practically do not get sick, as a rule, the weakest specimens are affected.
Plant hellebore (lat. Helleborus) belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennials of the Ranunculaceae family, of which, according to various sources, there are from 14 to 22 species growing in shady places in the mountains in Europe, in particular in the Mediterranean, and also in the east - in Asia Minor. Large quantity species grows on the Balkan Peninsula. In Germany, a hellebore flower in a pot is a traditional Christmas gift: the legend says that the little shepherd, upset that he had no gifts for the born Jesus, wept bitterly, and in the place where his tears fell, beautiful flowers bloomed, which the boy had collected and offered as a gift to the Christ child. Since then, the hellebore in Europe is called the “rose of Christ”, and in our country it is called the “winter hut”, because sometimes the hellebore blooms in January and even in November.
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Planting and caring for hellebore (in a nutshell)
- Landing: in April or September.
- Bloom: from the end of February to April.
- Lighting: bright sun, partial shade and even shade.
- The soil: heavy clay, rich in humus, deeply cultivated, neutral reaction.
- Watering: regular, especially in the heat.
- Top dressing: twice a season with a mineral complex and bone meal.
- Reproduction: seeds and spring division of the bush.
- Pests: snails, slugs, aphids, hop worm caterpillars and mice.
- Diseases: downy mildew, ring spot, anthracnose.
Read more about growing hellebore below.
Hellebore flower - description
The hellebore grass reaches a height of 20 to 50 cm. It has a short and thick rhizome, a simple, slightly branched stem. Leaves basal, leathery, long-petiolate, palmately or stopiformly dissected. Cup-shaped flowers on a long pedicel appear at the top of the stem from late winter to late June. What we think of as flower petals are actually sepals, and the petals have been transformed into nectaries. The color range of hellebore includes several shades of white, pink, soft yellow, purple, purple, ink, there are two-tone varieties. The shape of the flowers can be simple and terry. The early flowering of the hellebore makes it a long-awaited and beloved plant for all gardeners who, after a long colorless winter, are happy to watch hyacinths, muscari, crocuses, vespers, blueberries and, of course, hellebore appear on the site. Besides early flowering hellebore has such advantages as high winter hardiness and drought resistance. But for those who want to grow hellebore in the garden, there is one caveat: like all buttercups, it is extremely poisonous!
Planting hellebore
When to plant hellebore
In one place, the hellebore bush can grow for about 10 years, and since it does not tolerate transplantation very well, you need to approach the choice of a place for planting a plant responsibly. Hellebore grows best in moist, loose, clay-drained soil of neutral reaction in partial shade, among bushes and trees. The hellebore looks more spectacular when planted in small groups - a bright island against the backdrop of a snowy or dull gray garden. Planting hellebore is carried out in April or September.
How to plant hellebore
Holes for planting hellebore are dug 30x30x30 in size at a distance of 30 cm between specimens. Half of the hole is filled with compost. Then, having lowered the rhizome into the pit, they carefully hold the plant with one hand, and with the other they fill the pit with earth, tamp it down and water it. Within three weeks after planting, the hellebore needs frequent, plentiful watering.
Hellebore Care
How to care for hellebore
Caring for the hellebore is very simple: in the spring, before flowering, you need to remove all old leaves to prevent fungal spotting of young leaves and flowers of hellebore. Young leaves appear on the plant only after flowering. When the flowers fade, mulch the soil around the bushes with decomposed peat or compost. In hot weather, the plant needs regular watering, weeding and loosening of the site, as well as feeding with bone meal and mineral fertilizer twice a season.
Hellebore reproduction
Hellebore is propagated both generatively and vegetatively, although the seed method of propagation is most often used. Hellebore seeds are sown for seedlings immediately after ripening and harvesting - usually at the end of June - to a depth of 1.5 cm in loose, humus, moist soil. Shoots usually appear by March of the following year. When they grow up and they have one or two pairs of leaves, the seedlings dive into a flower bed located in partial shade, and grow there for another two or three years. Hellebore from seeds will begin to bloom only after three years, when the plant takes root in a permanent place, where it needs to be transplanted in April or September. This type of plant, like stinky hellebore, propagates by self-sowing.
You can propagate hellebore by dividing the bush. In the spring, after it has faded, five-year-old bushes are dug up, the hellebore rhizome is divided into several parts, the slices are treated with crushed coal and planted in pre-prepared holes. By dividing the bush in spring, black hellebore is propagated, and in autumn it is better to divide bushes of eastern hellebore.
Hellebore pests and diseases
The hellebore can be harmed by gastropod mollusks - slugs and snails that eat its leaves, as well as aphids, mice and caterpillars of the hop fine-moth. Mice are disposed of with poison baits laid out in their places of appearance, snails and slugs are collected by hand, and insecticides are used against insects: aphids are destroyed with Antitlin or Biotlin, and caterpillars with Actellik.
Of the diseases, downy mildew, anthracnose and ring spot are dangerous for hellebore. The peddler of spotting is aphids, which is why it is so important to prevent their presence in the garden. Parts of plants damaged by spotting are removed and burned, and the hellebore and the site are treated with fungicides. Anthracnose is diagnosed by the appearance of black-brown spots on the leaves with a barely noticeable ring pattern. The leaves affected by the disease are removed, and the plants are treated with preparations containing copper. On hellebore affected by false powdery mildew, new leaves stop growing, and those that have already appeared are deformed, becoming covered with dark spots on the upper side of the leaf, and on the lower side with a gray coating. The affected parts of the plants are cut out, and the plot and hellebore are treated with Previkur or Copper Oxychloride.
In general, the hellebore is a plant that is quite resistant to pests and diseases, and it can only be harmed when the planting and care of the hellebore were carelessly carried out or the growing conditions of the plant were systematically violated, for example, in a site with too high acidity of the soil. Test for soil acidity: take a sample of soil from the site with an amount of about a teaspoon, pour it onto a glass lying on dark surface, and lightly pour table vinegar. If the foaming is plentiful, then the soil in the area is alkaline, if the average is neutral, and if there is no foam at all, then it's time to add fluffy lime to the area, wood ash or dolomite flour.
Hellebore after flowering
How and when to collect hellebore seeds
Hellebore seeds ripen from June to the end of summer, but the boxes suddenly burst, and the seeds fall to the ground. To prevent this from happening, put gauze bags on several immature boxes and wait for the seeds to ripen and spill into the bag. After that, dry them in a dry, well-ventilated room and put them in a paper bag. However, you should be aware that hellebore seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, so it is best not to store them until spring, but to sow immediately.
hellebore in winter
As we have already said, hellebore is a cold-resistant perennial, however, in frosty snowless winters, it can also suffer from freezing, especially for young plants. To prevent this from happening, sprinkle the area where the hellebore grows with dry foliage or throw it with spruce branches.
Types and varieties of hellebore
Black hellebore (Helleborus niger)
- one of the most beautiful and most common species in culture, found naturally in mountain forests from southern Germany to Yugoslavia. This is an evergreen perennial up to 30 cm high with large, wrinkling up flowers up to 8 cm in diameter, snow-white inside and slightly pinkish outside, located on peduncles 30 to 60 cm high. They bloom from the beginning of April a little less than two weeks. The leaves of the black hellebore are wintering, very dense, leathery, of a beautiful dark green color. This species has been cultivated since the Middle Ages, its winter hardiness is high - up to -35 ºC. Of the varieties, the most famous are: Nigerkors, Nigristern, and of the varieties:
- Potters Will- hellebore with the largest white flowers in the genus up to 12 cm in diameter;
- HJC Joshua- one of the earliest hellebore, blooming in November;
- Pracox- hellebore, also blooming in November with pale pink flowers.
Caucasian hellebore (Helleborus caucasicus)
in nature, it is most often found not only throughout the Caucasus, but in Greece and Turkey. It has evergreen, long-petiolate, hard, leathery leaves up to 15 cm long, divided into wide segments, which can be from 5 to 11, and drooping flowers, white with a greenish or yellowish green with a brown tint, up to 8 cm in diameter, on peduncles from 20 to 50 cm. Caucasian hellebore blooms from the end of April for a month and a half. Kind of winter-hardy, in culture since 1853. This is the most poisonous type of hellebore.
Abkhaz hellebore (Helleborus abchasicus)
- a plant with long-leaved leathery bare leaves of dark green or purple-green color, purple-red peduncles 30-40 cm high and dark red drooping flowers up to 8 cm in diameter, on which darker specks are sometimes noticeable. This hellebore blooms from April for about a month and a half, is winter-hardy, and has various garden forms.
Eastern hellebore (Helleborus orientalis)
like the Caucasian hellebore, it comes from the Caucasus Mountains, from Turkey and Greece. It is an evergreen perennial plant up to 30 cm high with purple flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. Unfortunately, the leaves of plants of this species are often affected by fungi. Of the many varieties, the most famous are:
- White Swan- white-flowered hellebore;
- rock and roll- hellebore with flowers covered with red-pink specks;
- Blue Anemone- light purple flowers;
- variety series Lady Series- erect, fast-growing bushes with peduncles up to 40 cm tall and flowers of six different colors.
Stinky hellebore (Helleborus foetidus)
from light forests and rocky slopes Western Europe with leafy stems, reaching a height of 20-30 cm by autumn. Its leaves are wintering, with narrow shiny segments of dark green color and a peduncle reaching a height of 80 cm, on which a lush inflorescence is formed of numerous, small, green bell-shaped flowers with a reddish -brown edge. This type of hellebore easily tolerates dry weather. Popular variety:
- Wester Flisk- leaves with even narrower segments than the main species, inflorescence branches of a reddish hue.
Corsican hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius)
as the name implies, it grows in nature on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It is an evergreen perennial plant up to 75 cm high, forming several erect stems that grow rapidly in width. Yellow-green cup-shaped flowers form large complex racemes. At home, this species blooms in February, and in a temperate climate not earlier than April. In our latitudes, it requires shelter for the winter. The most famous variety:
- Grünspecht- hellebore with red-green flowers.
Reddish Hellebore (Helleborus purpurascens)
from South-Eastern Europe, growing in shrubs and forest edges in an area stretching from the western regions of Ukraine to Hungary and Romania. It has large, long-petiolate basal palmately dissected leaves into 5-7 parts, green, bare and shiny on the upper side, and bluish on the lower side. Drooping, dusty violet-purple hue on the outside, flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with an unpleasant odor from the inside have a greenish tint, and eventually become green. This species blooms from April for a month. In culture since 1850.
Hellebore hybrid (Helleborus x hybridus)
combines varieties of garden hybrids between different types hellebore with flowers of various colors with a diameter of 5 to 8 cm. For example:
- Violet- white flowers with a fluffy center, thin pink veins and a border;
- Belinda– white double flowers with a greenish-pink glow and a border along the edge of the petals;
- Queen of the Knight- dark purple flowers with yellow stamens.
In addition to those described, such types of hellebore as green, fragrant, shrubby, multipartite, Tibetan, Stern and others are known.
hellebore properties
As a raw material for the manufacture of medicinal preparations, only poisonous hellebore root is used, harvested in September after the seeds ripen. The roots are washed with a stiff brush, cut, and then dried at 40-45ºC in special dryers. Shelf life of dry raw materials is not more than two years. Decoctions and infusions are prepared from it, as well as a powder, which has the most powerful healing effect.
In addition to being used as a medicine, hellebore is used for weight loss. It has a remarkable ability to gently cleanse the body of toxins, remove excess fluid from it, break down fats, speed up fat metabolism, which ultimately leads to the loss of unnecessary kilograms without such stressful methods as a long diet or fasting. Miracles, of course, do not happen, and you will not lose 10 kg in a week, but guaranteed to lose 4-5 kg within a month is also a decent achievement.
However, hellebore has many contraindications. You can not use preparations from hellebore:
- people who have survived a heart attack, suffering from tachycardia or having other heart problems;
- people with a diseased liver;
- pregnant and lactating women;
- children under 14 years of age.
An overdose of drugs causes thirst, ringing in the ears, swelling of the throat and tongue, severe poisoning, and can even lead to collapse and cardiac arrest. Among plants, hellebore ranks first in terms of the content of heart poisons - sometimes fatal outcome may occur after the first use of the preparation from hellebore, therefore, if you are determined to use preparations containing hellebore extract, be sure to consult your doctor.
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The incredible resistance of the plant to the winter cold has gained considerable popularity among flower growers.
According to legend, a flower was born at the same time as Jesus, when a shepherd or a young girl’s tears fell to the ground due to annoyance that there was nothing to give the baby. Since then, hellebore has been called the flower of Christ.
Planting and caring for an evergreen herbaceous shrub will take very little time, because it grows without requiring special attention at all.
And only by showing the world wonderful flowers that open right from under the snow, people are surprised by their vitality, the desire to resist the cold and survive in conditions where most plants die.
Hellebore grass has been known to people for so long that it is extremely difficult to determine its homeland. The plant is most widespread in the Balkans - about 10 of its species are found there.
The range covers most of Europe, especially the Mediterranean and the mountain slopes of the Alps. In Asia, the plant is found on the border between Syria and Turkey, in Western China and the Caucasus.
It prefers to grow in the mountains, choosing shady gorges and darkened ledges of the plateau, it develops well among sparse bushes and under a scattered veil of tree crowns.
Hellebore flower is a herbaceous perennial plant with long-leaved basal leaves, leathery and palmately dissected in species wintering with a non-dying aerial part and more delicate with a fine texture in deciduous bushes.
The rhizome is thick and branched with numerous black lateral roots.
Large hellebore flowers appear in early spring, often bloom when the snow has not yet melted, but snowdrops are not ahead of them.
In some species, they are carried by a flowering stem that develops in the spring of the current season, in others, flowers are formed from a bud at the top of a wintering leafy stem, which dies after flowering.
The flowers are large, light green, snow-white or purple, over 10 cm in circumference.
They have five sepals, many take them for petals that do not fall for several months, but the latter have degenerated into funnel-shaped tubular small nectaries.
The fruits are multi-leafed with rounded black seeds.
The poisonous properties of hellebore have been known since antiquity. Many legends and historical facts indicate the use of the plant not only for medicinal, but also for poisoning purposes.
According to Greek mythology, the priest Melamp used hellebore to cure the daughters of the king of Argos from their fits of insanity.
And the inhabitants of the besieged city of Kirra were forced by the enemies to surrender, poisoning the water supply with the help of a plant.
And in the death of Alexander the Great, some historians blame the hellebore or white hellebore, with which the commander was poisoned as a result of an overdose during the treatment of an unknown disease, perhaps malaria or some other.
Types and varieties of hellebore with photos and names
In the genus Helleborus, the Ranunculaceae family includes up to 14, according to other sources - up to 22 species of herbaceous evergreen or deciduous perennials.
Confusion with the number of species arises because some sources call some species independent, while others call them only forms of the more well-known hellebores.
The black hellebore (Helleborus niger) is one of the most common and decorative species, also known as a synonym for a Christmas rose.
An evergreen shrub no more than 30 cm high with spectacular snow-white flowers about 8 cm in circumference, directed upwards, and not drooping, like in other species.
The foliage is wintering, leathery, dark emerald in color, remains until the corollas wither, and then a new one grows. Black hellebore withstands frosts up to 35 degrees.
Varieties with pink and scarlet flowers have been bred, a form with bluish-green leaves and big flowers- up to 11 cm in diameter.
Known hybrids that are less frost-resistant - nigristern (N. nigristern) and nigerkors (N. nigercors).
Eastern helleborus (Helleborus orientalis) - very variable evergreen species giving a lot of trouble to taxonomists.
Distributed in natural conditions in the Caucasus, Turkey and Greece. It reaches a height, like many representatives of the genus, no more than 30 cm.
Popular among flower growers is the eastern hellebore variety Schmiemann Strain Lady Series, abbreviated as Lady Series:
Pink Lady (Pink Lady) - with pale pink flowers; 
hellebore Red Lady (Red Lady) - with velvety dark cherry corollas; 
Blue Lady (Blue Lady) - with rich purple sepals; 
White Lady Spotted - with white flowers strewn with small coral specks; 
Yellow Lady - with lemon-cream whisks; 
Metallic Blue (Metallic Blue) - with a stunning bluish tint on the purple background of the sepals. The new Double series with double flowers is also incredibly attractive:
Double White - with snow-white double flowers; 
hellebore oriental double ellen picottee Double Ellen Picottee - with delicate pink-peach terry corollas; 
Double Ellen Red Double Ellen Red has red double flowers; 
Golden Lotus - with lemon yellow terry corollas; 
Double Ellen Purple - with luxurious purple flowers; - Spring Driam - with white-green terry sepals.
Abkhaz hellebore (Helleborus orientalis abchasicus) - in some sources it is considered independent view, in others - a form of eastern hellebore. The shiny basal leaves have an unusual purple hue.
Peduncles of cherry-purple color, rise above the bush by 30-40 cm, bear relatively small rich red flowers about 8 cm in circumference, often with maroon speckles.
Hellebore or Caucasian wintering (Helleborus caucasicus) - also not in all reference books is allocated to an independent genus. Grows on the shaded slopes of the Caucasus.
Long-leaved leaves, dissected into several segments, like a fan, hibernating.
Peduncles grow up to half a meter high, on their top one or 2-3 flowers of yellowish-light green or white-green color with a slight reddish-brown tint are formed. The fruits are long-beaked leaflets.
The stinky hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) grows in light forests and on shaded rocky outcrops throughout southwestern Europe.
A perennial with a leafy stem, at the top of which a dense inflorescence of small greenish bell-shaped flowers with a cherry-chocolate border is formed, despite the specific epithet, completely odorless.
Known variety Wester Flisk (Wester Flisk) with a grayish tint of foliage, very drought-resistant and requiring a high lime content in the soil.
Hellebore blushing or reddish (Helleborus purpurascens) - the range of the species spreads throughout South-Eastern Europe from Hungary and Romania to Western Ukraine.
Large palmately dissected leaves, unlike other species, die off for the winter. From above, the leaf blades are glossy rich emerald, from below a bluish-green hue.
On peduncles 20-40 cm high, small, only 4 cm in diameter, purple-violet flowers are formed, with a grayish tint outside and green inside the corolla. They have an unpleasant odor.
Tibetan hellebore (Helleborus thibetanus) is native to Northwest China.
The leaves are palmately dissected, divided into 10-12 segments, die off in the middle of summer. The flowers are very delicate, white-pink color, drooping.
Planting and transplanting hellebore in open ground
An adult hellebore plant does not withstand transplanting well, so they try not to disturb it in vain, but only in case of special need.
In one place, the flower lives for several years, vegetates well and blooms profusely, and after transplantation it languishes for almost a year, does not form buds, but, as a rule, does not die.
When and in what soil is hellebore planted
Transfer robots are produced either in very early spring before flowering, or at the end of summer.
Choose a semi-shaded area in the garden between trees or shrubs.
In a lighter place hellebore also grows well, but it will have to be watered more abundantly.
The plant prefers to develop in heavy clay soil, drained and generously enriched with humus.
It responds very well to the introduction of lime, but it is still not worth it to alkalize the soil too much, it is better to maintain a neutral pH.
Some species, for example, smelly and reddish hellebore, are grown without problems on poorer sandy soil.
How to plant
Holes for planting are dug at a distance of 30-40 cm from one another. Approximate dimensions- 0.3x0.3x0.3 m. The dug soil is mixed with humus and sand.
The plant is dug up with an earthen clod and they try to disturb the root system less.
Carefully roll it into a new hole and sprinkle with the prepared mixture.
Thoroughly tamp, water abundantly and crush the peri-root space with dry soil.
For another 2-3 weeks, moisten regularly, not sparing water, but not creating a swamp around the plant.
Water should not stagnate, and it is undesirable for the roots to sour in a puddle for a long time.
How to propagate hellebore
The hellebore is propagated in two ways - by seed and by division of the rhizome during transplantation, but the latter is not practiced so often because of the long-term survival of the plant in a new place.
More often, however, hellebore is grown from seeds.
Sowing hellebore seeds in open ground
They are harvested as they ripen from late May to late June and immediately sown in open ground.
Seedlings will appear at the beginning of the next growing season, but the likelihood of a high percentage of sprout emergence is greater compared to spring sowing after dry storage.
Hellebore seeds lose their ability to germinate within a year.
It is possible to sow in open ground later, the main thing is that at least 2-2.5 months remain before the onset of cold weather.
In the garden, grooves are made in loose, moist, humus soil and seeds are planted in them to a depth of no more than one and a half centimeters.
Seedlings should be expected next year in the month of March, and the first flowers on them will bloom only in the 3rd year.
After the first 2-3 true leaves form on the sprouts, they are swooped down on semi-shaded shkolki for growing, and they are transplanted to a permanent place after 2-3 years in September.
Growing hellebore seedlings from seeds
If it is impossible to carry out crops immediately after collecting the seeds, they must be satisfied with double stratification - first warm, then cold.
To do this, planting material is sown in containers filled with a peat-sand mixture in a ratio of 3: 1, and they are kept for 3 months under conditions room temperature at about 18-20 degrees Celsius.
For the next 1-3 months, containers with crops are moved to more cool place where the air temperature is about 4 degrees above zero.
Lightly moisten and make sure that mold does not appear on the surface of the soil mixture. A month or later, the first shoots begin to hatch.
In the spring, after return frosts on the soil, seedlings dive into semi-shaded places on the site, maintaining a distance of 20 cm between them, or into a greenhouse for further growth.
Seedlings are planted at a permanent place of growth already well-strengthened in late August or early September 3-4 years after sowing. They will bloom for 3-5 years of life.
The division of the bush
It is possible to propagate hellebore by dividing the bush immediately after the end of flowering or in optimal time for transplanting in early spring or with the advent of autumn.
The root is divided into several parts and transplanted into pre-prepared pits.
Vegetative propagation the good thing is that all the decorative features of the parent plant are probably preserved.
With seed propagation, such confidence does not exist, usually varietal characteristics are lost, and the features of the natural species that participated in the creation of the hybrid appear.
Hellebore Care
The plant grows well in loose soil, so weeding between hellebore bushes is periodically carried out in summer and weeds are removed at the same time.
Watering and fertilizing
Moisturize shrubs all summer if the weather is hot.
Periodic rainfall will satisfy the plant's moisture needs.
For the sake of its preservation, the hellebore is mulched with dry grass in the root circle, and after flowering - with compost or decomposed peat.
Early spring top dressing with superphosphate or bone meal stimulates the development of the plant well, and with the establishment of warm sunny days, they spend foliar top dressing trace elements.
For the winter, varieties that are weakly resistant to winter cold are covered with spruce branches.
Natural species are more resistant to temperature drops and do not need special shelter for the winter, especially if they are planted in a place protected from the wind.
hellebore pruning
The hellebore pruning procedure is necessary in the care of the plant, but it is equally important to do it correctly and in a timely manner.
Faded inflorescences are removed immediately after the peduncles wither to prolong flowering and prevent the formation of seeds and self-seeding.
During the growing season from the beginning of flowering to winter, only diseased and mechanically damaged leaves are removed from the plant.
Usually, at the end of the growing season, the leaves of perennials are cut off, but in hellebore they remain decorative all winter, and it is quite logical to leave them to decorate the garden.
In addition, if you cut the foliage in autumn, pathogenic microorganisms accumulate on the sections, which, with the advent of heat, create serious problem for a plant.
In this case, when is it right to prune old leaves?
Experienced flower growers consider - immediately after the appearance of flower stalks of the current season from under the ground.
The plant may look a little bare after pruning, but new foliage will grow back quickly.
It makes no sense to leave the old foliage until the end of flowering - during this time, young leaves grow, and last year's leaves generally become impossible to cut.
Diseases and pests
Among insect pests, hellebore is most annoyed by the aphid Macrosiphum hellebori, which infects the flowers and leaves of the plant.
Whitish-green individuals are about 2-4 mm long and form dense colonies on hellebores, covering them with honeydew, which can lead to the growth of consistent mold on leaves and flowers.
In Germany, the stinking hellebore is attacked by the miner fly Phytomyza hellebori. Its larvae damage the leaves, arranging passages in the tissues.
Affected leaf blades are covered with brownish-black spots. Adults hibernate on evergreen hellebore leaves.
If they are cut before the moment of departure and egg deposition, you can protect the plants from damage.
Insecticides help in getting rid of pests systemic action, but pollinating insects suffer from them during flowering.
Hellebores also suffer from invasions of slugs, snails and mice.
The most common plant disease is gray rot, the symptoms of which are grayish-brown mold spots on leaves, buds and flowers.
The spores of the fungus are spread by air, and infection does not depend on the season, favorable conditions for it are warm and high humidity.
First of all, weakened specimens that have damage to the tissues of leaves, petioles, and peduncles suffer.
Other hellebore diseases include black or brown spotting caused by the fungus Coniothyrium hellebori, which appears as spots of the corresponding color.
Sick leaves, buds, flowers are cut out and destroyed, and the plants are sprayed with fungicides.
Also dangerous is the bacterial disease Pseudomonas viridiflava, which manifests itself on hellebore in the form of black leaf spots, necrosis of the petals and damage to the stems, and the viral infection of the plant Helleborus net necrosis virus, also called Black Death, or black death, the signs of which are blackening of the veins and ring patterns on leaf blades.
It is difficult to deal with these hellebore ailments, and diseased plants are destroyed so that they do not infect the entire backyard flora.
Hellebore in garden landscaping
Primrose forms flower buds in autumn and blooms as soon as the spring sun peeps through.
Only snowdrops are ahead of him, and with him crocuses, blueberries, early primroses bloom.
However, ephemeroids quickly leave the forefront spring garden, and hellebore, preening with young juicy foliage, remain decorative all summer.
For them, the ideal place is in the so-called "wild" parks and gardens, created in the form of a natural landscape with not too tall grass.
Hellebores are also indispensable for creating shady rock gardens and rocky gardens.
Growing, they form extensive curtains in group plantings, in borders and mixborders, along alleys and decorate the garden from April to late autumn, or even all winter.
