Helleborus Ice N' Roses Marbled Megan Marble - Hellebore

Hellebore Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Megan Marble is a Christmas rose with exceptional qualities. A recent hybrid obtained in Germany and introduced in 2017, it combines all the qualities of its parents, including H. corsicus, H. niger, and H. orientalis. Very robust, it is resistant to cold, heat, and rather dry soils in summer. It blooms for a long time, from December to April, with large flowers in dense colours. It produces up to 15 stems per plant, each developing several flowers on compact stems. The flowers are adorned with a pretty pink colour, dense and bright, contrasted by yellow stamens, from purple-brown buds. Its highly ornamental foliage is dark green, veined with light green, strongly dentate and leathery. This hellebore will live for many years in the garden, in all climates.

Hellebores belong to the Ranunculaceae family. Helleborus x glandorfensis Ice 'N' Roses® is a complex horticultural hybrid belonging to a series of Christmas roses developed in Germany after many years of research and drastic selection. The flowers of Ice n'Roses hellebores come in 3 colours: red, pink, and white.

Ice 'N' Roses Marbled Megan Marble is a solid perennial plant, with remarkable longevity, fairly fast growth, and vigorous vegetation, but sterile; its reproduction is only possible (and delicate) through division of clumps. It has a bushy habit, with a mature plant reaching 30cm (12in) in height and at least 50cm (20in) in spread. From December to March-April, brownish not very tall stems appear, bearing purple-brown buds that open into 5-petalled flowers of bright pink, with a satiny texture, 6-7cm (2-3in) wide, and with beautiful yellow stamens in their centre. The evergreen foliage consists of fairly leathery leaves, 10 to 30cm (4 to 12in) long, borne on brownish petioles. They are divided into 5 to 7 oval or lanceolate segments, strongly dentate, dark green with a satiny texture, marbled with light green. This hellebore is hardy down to -20°C (-4°F) and tolerates a wide range of soils, whether they are limestone or clayey, humiferous or sandy, constantly moist or even dry in summer.

This rather revolutionary hellebore is full of qualities. It should thrive in all our gardens, from the north to the south. From the first year, numerous flowers already appear on the plants. New flowers constantly form, creating a beautiful contrast between the open flowers and the faded ones. These flowers can be perfectly used in bouquets. It is also a good ground cover for partially shaded areas of the garden. Use hellebores like elements of an ancient tapestry, mixing them with woodland plants in brighter colours. They are well highlighted, planted near small-sized evergreen bushes (Mahonia 'Apollo', Nandina 'Fire Power'), and under conifers (especially in exposed windy sites). Surround them with primroses, wood anemones, Corydalis, Dicentras, cardamines, or spring-flowering bulbs, and snowdrops. You can also plant them in groups, like a bouquet, near the entrance of the house, in a shaded position, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for flowerbeds, borders, and containers. Over time, the flowers of the hellebore do not wither like the majority of other flowers, but dry up.