❄️ Species guide
🌥️ Partly shaded balcony
🌿 In brief
Hellebores are among the few plants that flower outdoors in the depths of winter, whatever the cold. Christmas roses open their flowers from November or December, and Lenten roses take over from February to April. In a pot, they need partial shade, a deep pot with a drainage hole, a rich but free-draining potting soil and regular watering without overdoing it. Hardy, evergreen and long-lived, they are ideal for a north-, east- or west-facing balcony.
When the balcony goes to sleep and the other plants are waiting for spring, hellebores open their flowers. White, pink, purple, single or double, they come through frost, rain and sometimes snow, and stay beautiful for weeks. Christmas rose or Lenten rose: here is how to choose your hellebore, plant it in a pot and get it to flower again every winter.
Portrait of the hellebore
The hellebore, Helleborus, is an evergreen perennial in the buttercup family. There are around twenty species, native to the mountains and woodlands of Europe and western Asia, from the Alps to the Balkans and as far as the Caucasus. In the wild, they grow in the dappled shade of trees, in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil that is often chalky. That woodland setting is what you need to recreate on a balcony: filtered light and a soil that never dries out completely but never stays waterlogged either.
Its leathery, dark green leaves, divided into broad lobes, stay on the plant all year round. Its cup-shaped flowers, 4 to 8 cm across depending on the variety, open in midwinter on sturdy stems, above or among the foliage. A clump of hellebore lives for years, even decades, in the ground, and for several years in a pot with the occasional repotting.
| Criterion | What a potted hellebore needs |
|---|---|
| Light | Partial shade; gentle sun is fine in winter, never scorching summer sun |
| Water | Moist potting soil, but never waterlogged |
| Potting soil | Humus-rich, free-draining, neutral to chalky |
| Cold | Very hardy: from -10 °C to below -30 °C depending on the variety |
| Flowering | November to April depending on the group |
| Toxicity | Toxic if swallowed, for humans and animals alike |
Christmas roses and Lenten roses
The name hellebore covers several groups, which do not flower at the same time and do not have quite the same needs.
Christmas roses
The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, is the hellebore of the limestone mountains of the Alps. It opens its large white flowers with yellow centres from November or December, sometimes as early as late October in early varieties such as 'Christmas Carol'. Its flowers often take on a pinkish tinge as they age. It likes a slightly chalky potting soil and cool partial shade.
Lenten roses
Lenten roses, Helleborus orientalis and its hybrids (Helleborus × hybridus), flower later, from February to April, around Lent, which gave them their name. They are the most vigorous and the most varied: white, pink, purple, almost black, plain or speckled, single or double like the Double Ellen series. Their flowers often nod slightly towards the ground.
Modern hybrids
Breeders have crossed these species with each other and with Mediterranean hellebores to produce more vigorous plants with larger, outward-facing flowers or silvery foliage. Examples include 'Diamonfire', a cross between the Christmas rose and the Corsican hellebore, and 'Silver Dollar', grown above all for its silver-grey leaves.
| Variety | Group | Flowering | Flowers | Hardiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Christmas Carol' | Christmas rose | Late October to March | Large white flowers with a yellow centre | -29 °C |
| 'Diamonfire' | Christmas rose hybrid | December to March | Creamy white and green, dusky pink buds | -23 °C |
| 'Angel Glow' | Hybrid | December to March | Frosted pink, deepening to rich pink | -23 °C |
| 'Double Ellen Pink' | Lenten rose | February to April | Double, pale pink marbled with bright pink | -34 °C |
| 'Double Ellen White' | Lenten rose | February to April | Double, snow white speckled with lime green | -34 °C |
| 'Double Ellen Red' | Lenten rose | February to April | Double, burgundy-purple edged with white | -34 °C |
| 'Dacaya' | Lenten rose | February to April | Single, mid-pink streaked with burgundy | -34 °C |
| 'Silver Dollar' | Mediterranean hybrid | February to April | Creamy green with a yellow centre, silvery foliage | -10 °C |
By pairing a Christmas rose with a Lenten rose, you will have flowers on the balcony from December to April without a break.
What makes it unique
“Petals” that are not petals
What look like petals are actually sepals, which are thicker and tougher. The true petals are reduced to a ring of small green funnel-shaped nectaries at the heart of the flower, which produce the nectar. That is why the flowers last for weeks, even two to three months, slowly changing colour.
A plant that collapses in frost and gets back up
In hard frosts, the stems and flowers slump to the ground as if the plant were dead. As soon as the temperature rises, they stand back up within a few hours, unharmed. This is a natural protective mechanism, not a sign that the plant is dying.
A source of nectar in midwinter
Hellebores flower at a time when almost nothing else does. The first bumblebees and honeybees to venture out on a mild February day find precious nectar in them.
A toxic plant
All parts of the hellebore are toxic if swallowed, and its sap can irritate the skin. Wear gloves when handling it and keep it out of reach of children and of pets that chew plants. Our guide to cats, dogs and plants helps you get them living together safely.
Where to put your hellebore
The hellebore is a woodland plant: it likes light, but not scorching sun.
- The ideal spot is an east-, west- or north-facing balcony, with a few hours of gentle sun in the morning or late afternoon.
- In winter, when it is in flower, it appreciates all the light it can get: a little direct sun does it no harm at this time of year.
- In summer, protect it from the afternoon sun, which scorches the leaves and dries out the pot. On a south-facing balcony, place it in the shade of a taller plant or a wall.
- 'Diamonfire' and 'Silver Dollar' cope with gentle sun better than Lenten roses do.
- Put it where you can see it from indoors: it flowers at a time of year when you rarely go out on the balcony.
Our guide to plants for shady balconies features other plants that thrive in the same conditions.
Pot, potting soil and planting
The pot
Hellebores develop thick, deep roots. Choose a pot with a drainage hole, deeper than it is wide if possible, at least 25 to 30 cm deep for a young plant, and heavy enough to stay stable. Terracotta and ceramic are fine, provided they are guaranteed frost-proof, since the plant spends the winter outdoors. A thick plastic or composite pot gives the roots better protection from the cold.
The potting soil
A good mix: two-thirds quality outdoor potting soil, enriched with compost or leaf mould, and one-third perlite, pozzolana or fine gravel for drainage. Hellebores like a neutral to slightly chalky soil and do not do well in acidic ericaceous compost. A layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot stops water from collecting. Our guide to understanding substrates details these materials.
Planting and repotting
The best time is autumn, from September to November, or just after flowering in spring. Set the root ball at the same level as in its original pot: the crown, where the stems emerge, must not be buried, or the plant will flower poorly. Firm the soil gently, then water generously. Repot every two to three years into a pot a few centimetres wider, handling the roots as little as possible: hellebores dislike being disturbed.
Watering and feeding
Moist potting soil, never waterlogged
In the ground, a hellebore more or less looks after itself. In a pot, it depends entirely on you. Water when the top two or three centimetres of potting soil are dry, until water runs out of the drainage hole, then empty the saucer. In spring and summer, that often means watering once or twice a week, more in hot weather. In autumn and winter, rain is often enough: just check that the pot does not dry out, especially if it is sheltered by the balcony above. The finger test is still the best guide.
Feed twice a year
One feed of slow-release fertiliser for flowering plants in early autumn, before flowering, then a second just after flowering, is all it needs. A top-dressing of compost every autumn also works very well. Avoid fertilisers that are too high in nitrogen, which produce lots of leaves and few flowers.
The hellebore in winter
Winter is its season. Christmas roses and Lenten roses withstand temperatures well below -15 °C in the ground. In a pot, it is the roots that are exposed: a root ball frozen right through for several days can damage them.
| Your winter | What to do |
|---|---|
| Mild, rarely below 0 °C | Nothing special: it stays outdoors and flowers all winter. |
| Occasional frosts down to -10 °C | It stays outdoors. Move the pot close to a wall and raise it on pot feet. |
| Prolonged frosts or below -10 °C | Wrap the pot in horticultural fleece or bubble wrap, leaving the foliage uncovered. Give 'Silver Dollar' extra protection, as it is only hardy to -10 °C. |
A Christmas rose indoors for the festive season
The Christmas rose is often given as a gift in December to decorate the home. It can cope with a short stay indoors, one to two weeks at most, in a bright, cool room, ideally below 15 °C, away from radiators. Keep the potting soil slightly moist. Then move it back outside, preferably on a frost-free day, to a sheltered spot at first. In a heated living room, it wears itself out within a few days. Our guide to giving a plant in winter has more gift ideas.
For the rest of the balcony, our guide to overwintering your balcony details every step.
Leaves, faded flowers and propagation
Cutting back the old leaves of Lenten roses
This is the most useful job of all. In December or January, when the flower buds start to push through the soil, cut last year's large leaves right back to the base. The flowers show up better, the plant gets more air and you limit hellebore leaf spot, a disease that develops on old leaves. New leaves appear just after flowering. On the Christmas rose and hybrids such as 'Diamonfire', only remove damaged or spotted leaves.
Faded flowers
After flowering, cut the flower stems back to the base if you do not want seeds: the plant saves its energy for the following season. If you leave them, seed pods form and may self-sow in the pot.
Propagating a hellebore
The seeds ripen in May and June. Sown fresh, they germinate after the winter, but it takes two to three years to get a flowering plant, and hybrids do not come true from seed. Large clumps of Lenten roses can be divided in early autumn with a clean spade or knife, keeping several buds on each division. The Christmas rose does not take kindly to division: it is better left undisturbed.
Common problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Black or brown spots on leaves and stems | Hellebore leaf spot, a fungus encouraged by damp conditions | Cut off and dispose of affected leaves, improve air flow, water at the base |
| Plant lying flat after a cold night | Normal reaction to frost | Do nothing: it stands back up when the temperature rises |
| No flowers | Plant too young, crown buried, shade too deep or too much nitrogen | Replant at the right level, give more light in winter, use a fertiliser for flowering plants |
| Yellow or scorched leaves in summer | Sun too strong or pot dried out | Move to partial shade, water more regularly |
| Yellowing leaves and a heavy pot | Overwatering, suffocated roots | Let it dry out, check the drainage hole, empty the saucer |
| Small green or black insects on young shoots | Aphids in spring | Spray with water, then diluted black soap if needed |
Our guide to plant pests helps you identify unwanted insects.
Decorating with hellebores
Hellebores dress up the balcony just when it is at its emptiest. A few combinations that work:
- The Christmas window box: a Christmas rose 'Christmas Carol', a red-budded skimmia 'Rubella' and a cream-variegated carex 'Ice Dance', for a red, white and green trio that lasts all winter.
- A pink scheme: 'Angel Glow' or 'Dacaya' at the foot of a heavenly bamboo 'Obsessed Seika', whose foliage turns red in winter.
- White and silver: 'Double Ellen White' and 'Silver Dollar' in grey or white pots, for a balcony that looks bright even on overcast days.
- Flowers in the house: cut too young, hellebore flowers wilt quickly. Choose flowers that have been open for a few weeks and whose centres are starting to form seeds, or float the flower heads in a bowl of water: they will then last for several days.
Mistakes to avoid
⚠️ Avoid
Burying the crown. A plant set too deep produces leaves but few flowers.
Putting it in full summer sun. Its leaves scorch and the pot dries out too quickly.
Letting the pot dry out or drowning the root ball. In a pot, it needs moist potting soil, never dry and never waterlogged.
Keeping a Christmas rose in a warm living room. After more than one to two weeks indoors, it wears itself out.
Thinking it is dead after a frost. A plant lying flat stands back up as soon as the temperature rises.
Our selection
You now know how to grow them. Here are our hellebores, their winter companions and the pots to plant them in.
Christmas roses and early hybrids
They flower from November or December and brighten up the festive season.
View our cold- and frost-hardy plants →
Lenten roses
They take over from February to April, with single or double flowers. The Double Ellen series also comes in burgundy-purple.
Lenten rose 'Double Ellen Pink'View →
Lenten rose 'Double Ellen White'View →
Lenten rose 'Dacaya'View →
View our plants for partial shade →
Their winter companions
They like the same cool partial shade and stay decorative all winter alongside hellebores.
View our plants for shady balconies →
Outdoor pots
Frost-resistant pots with drainage holes, for hellebores that spend the winter outdoors.
Verdeia — Winter flowers
Flowers on your balcony in midwinter
Christmas roses, Lenten roses, skimmias: our plants that flower and bring colour to the balcony while everything else sleeps.
Frequently asked questions
The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, flowers from November to March, with white flowers. The Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis and its hybrids, flowers later, from February to April, in a much wider range of colours, from white to purple.
Only for one to two weeks, in a bright, cool room, ideally below 15 °C. It is an outdoor plant: in the warmth, it quickly wears itself out. Then move it back outside, preferably on a frost-free day.
On Lenten roses, yes: cut back the old leaves in December or January, when the buds appear. On the Christmas rose, only remove damaged or spotted leaves.
No. In hard frosts, a hellebore slumps to protect itself, then stands back up within a few hours when the temperature rises. Just wait.
Yes, all parts of it are toxic if swallowed, for animals and humans alike. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew plants and wear gloves when handling it.
Well planted
The right pot for your hellebores
Deep, frost-resistant pots to give your hellebores a lasting home on the balcony or terrace.
