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Botanical name: Helleborus ‘Winter Sunshine’
This attractive variety produces bushy mounds of thick evergreen leaves of gray-green; showy cream blooms gradually mature to pink and red; a great selection for shade gardens.
Other names: Lenten Rose, Winter Rose
| Hardiness zone | 4b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | cream |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | upright spreading |
| Mature height | 12 inches |
| Spread | 18 inches |
| Light requirements | partial shade to shade |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | hybrid |
Winter Sunshine Hellebore features showy nodding creamy white cup-shaped flowers with chartreuse eyes at the ends of the stems from late winter to early spring that fade to pink over time. Its attractive serrated oval compound leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the year. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. The brick red stems can be quite attractive.
Winter Sunshine Hellebore is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Winter Sunshine Hellebore is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Mass Planting, Rock/Alpine Gardens, Border Edging, General Garden Use, Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
Winter Sunshine Hellebore will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years.
This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
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