Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Merlot

Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Merlot: Merlot Red, Poured in March

'Merlot' pours itself before the snow is gone. Deep, velvety wine-red flowers, nearly black, with creamy stamens and absolutely no seedlings crashing the party. FULL BODY. SMOOTH FINISH. ZERO HANGOVER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Helleborus × glandorfensis
• Common Name: Lenten Rose, Hellebore
• Series: HGC® Ice N' Roses®
• Height: 38–45 cm (15–18 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Large, single, outward-facing, deep velvety wine red, nearly black-red, with creamy yellow stamens
• Bloom Time: Late winter to spring (March to May)
• Foliage: Thick, leathery, dark green and evergreen
• Features: Long-lasting flowers, sterile so it doesn't seed around, sold under cultivar code 'Coseh 4700'
• Plant Patent: USPP 31,181

Where to Plant: Plant it where low sun can shine through the flowers: a bed by the front walk, the edge of a woodland garden, or a container near the door. It's also handy under deciduous trees, where it gets light in spring and shelter in summer.

Companion Plants: Burgundy hellebore flowers look rich next to Primula Crescendo® Blue Shades, which adds blue spring flowers in April and May. Polygonatum multiflorum brings arching stems and white flowers in May and June, rising 60 to 90 cm behind. Heuchera 'Grape Soda' fills the front with pink flowers from May to August. All three like part sun.

Plant Care: Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal. Avoid deep shade, which cuts down the flowering. Water through the first season and in dry summers. Wear gloves, since all parts are toxic if eaten. In early spring, cut last year's tattered leaves off at the base so the new flowers show. In zone 5 and colder spots, a winter mulch of shredded leaves or good snow cover protects the foliage. Leave established clumps where they are. Hellebores don't enjoy being moved.

History: Ice N' Roses® hellebores come from the German nursery Heuger and are sold under its HGC® label. Merlot is a sterile cross between Helleborus × hybridus and Helleborus × ericsmithii, part of a group named Helleborus × glandorfensis after Heuger's home town of Glandorf.

Final Thoughts: Plant it where you'll see it from the kitchen and toast the end of winter. The deer can't handle their wine. BEST VINTAGE IN THE SHADE.