Gardening Information about Hellebore and Coralbells
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
• Hellebore(Helleborus spp.): If you have hellebore currently in your garden you know one thing is certain; it will be the first thing to bloom before anything else does. Hellebore is a leathery dark-green and has an attractive cup-shaped bloom that can bloom in shades of green, white, cream colored, pink and sometimes even a brilliant red tone. Normally it will bloom around winter or even early spring and only lasts for about 3 weeks before the blooms disappear.
Growing Hellebore: There are two species of hellebore that are the hardiest of all, the H. niger and the H. orientalis which can grow great in Zones 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The species H. argutifolius is a pale green bloom and can be grown great in Zones 6, 7, 8 and 9. Hellebore can reach growth heights of 2 feet tall at times.
• Coralbells (Heuchers spp.): Coralbells are shade lovers and bloom in foliage of silver, bronze, purple, bright pink, red and even white at times. Two varieties worth noting is the ‘Pewter Veil’ that has a reddish-purple bloom and the ‘Amber Waves’ which has a golden bloom with pink hints and highlights throughout the bloom. The most popular coralbell is the ‘Champagne Bubbles’ that blooms in a brilliant pink color, similar to a pink champagne when the cork is popped at New Years or a Wedding.
Growing Coralbells: Coralbells are mostly hardy in Zones 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and can reach growing heights of roughly 1 foot, but certain varieties can reach 3 feet if the variety is right. If you cluster several different species of coralbells together in your garden you get a grand effect of blooms with this plant. It is best to keep the contrast intriguing, being you never know what color difference will bring from year to year. You could have one that is gold with pink undertones one year and the following year it could be solid gold with one speck of pink in the bloom.
