Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Dark Picotee

Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Dark Picotee: Wine-Edged Blooms While You're in Boots

White to blush petals, each one outlined in dark wine red like eyeliner applied by a professional. 'Dark Picotee' makes the most dramatic entrance of late winter. WINGED LINER, ZERO SMUDGES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Helleborus x glandorfensis
• Common Name: Lenten Rose, Hellebore
• Series: HGC® Ice N' Roses®
• Height: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Spread: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Flowers: Large, single, outward-facing flowers, white to soft blush with a dark wine-red picotee edge and creamy stamens
• Bloom Time: Late winter to spring (March to May)
• Foliage: Thick, glossy, dark green and leathery. Evergreen.
• Features: Rabbit resistant, long-lasting flowers, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Plant it where you'll see it from a window or along the walk to the door, since it blooms while there's still slush around. It suits woodland gardens, shady borders and the north side of the house.

Companion Plants: Use Dark Picotee in a moist, shady bed with yellow strawberry, cream-centred hostas and dark bugbane. Waldsteinia fragarioides carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with yellow flowers in May and June. Hosta 'Vulcan' adds leaves with a creamy white centre at 50 to 56 cm. Cimicifuga 'Brunette' rises behind at 120 to 150 cm with dark leaves and fragrant spikes from August to October. Carex grayi adds glossy blades at 60 to 90 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal. Water well through the first season and during dry summers. Wear gloves when handling, since all parts are toxic if eaten and the sap can irritate skin. In early spring, before the buds open, cut off last year's tattered leaves at the base so the new flowers show. In zone 5 and colder spots, a loose mulch of shredded leaves or good snow cover helps protect the evergreen foliage. Hellebores dislike disturbance, so leave established clumps alone.

History: The Ice N' Roses® series was bred by the German grower Heuger and is sold under the HGC® label, as hybrids of Helleborus x ericsmithii and Helleborus x hybridus named Helleborus x glandorfensis. They're bred for upright, outward-facing flowers and are described as sterile, so they don't seed around.

Final Thoughts: Cut a few for a small vase and let the house in on the drama. Deer and rabbits stay out of it. THE LOOK IS SNATCHED.