Stern’s Hybrid Hellebore

Bred by botanist Sir Frederick Stern, Helleborus x sternii is a small, clump-forming, evergreen perennial with purple flower stems. The leaves are divided into three toothed leaflets, bluish-green with paler veins. Creamy-green, cup-shaped flowers flushed with pinkish-purple appear in clusters from January to March, and look lovely with ferns or snowdrops and other early bulbs in very mild areas; they are an excellent early nectar source for pollinators. Plant in the shelter of a warm wall, or, in colder areas, grow in rich, gritty compost in a container near a house wall or doorway – Stern’s hybrid hellebore grows well in a pot, which can be taken under cover if frost threatens.

Site: Sheltered
Soil: Moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil, alkaline preferred
Position: Partial shade; tolerates full sun in reliably moist soil
Flowering period: January to March
Hardiness: Borderline hardy
Height: 16” (40cm) Spread: 16” (40cm)