Helleborus ballardiae MAESTRO - Hellebore

Hellebore x ballardiae Maestro®  is a new absolutely charming and remarkably floriferous hybrid Christmas rose.  This variety first captivates with its very compact habit and its pretty dark green palmate foliage veined with a silvery shine, almost flat to the ground. Then comes winter and flowering, generous, delightful, in cream-white cups that blush with different shades of old pink as the days go by. This hardy perennial plant resistant to severe frost spreads in large clumps over time, delivering more and more flowers each year. This exquisite plant will live many years in the garden. It prefers fairly sunny situations, but not scorching, and tolerates heavy and chalky soils well, as long as they remain fairly moist in summer.

Hellebores belong to the Ranunculaceae family. Helleborus x ballardiae Maestro® is a very recent German horticultural hybrid, resulting from the cross-breeding of Helleborus niger (the true Christmas Rose), widespread on the forest slopes of the Central and Eastern Alps up to an altitude of 1800m (5905ft), on limestone soil, and Helleborus lividus, originating from the western islands of the Mediterranean.

The 'Maestro' Hellebore is a compact perennial plant, with remarkable longevity, fairly slow growth, but sterile; its flowering will therefore be all the more abundant and its reproduction will only be possible by dividing the clumps. It forms a low clump, with a compact and spreading habit. An adult plant will reach a minimum height of 30 to 35cm (12 to 14in) and a spread of 50cm (20in). From December to March-April, depending on the mildness of the winter, appear reddish-brown stems carrying pinkish buds that open into cream-white flowers with a powdery pink reverse, 6 to 7cm (2 to 3in) wide, with yellow stamens. They fade into different shades of old pink, becoming more intense as the days go by. The evergreen foliage is composed of fairly tough leaves, 10 to 20cm (4 to 8in) long, borne on brownish petioles. They are divided into 5 to 7 oval or lanceolate segments, toothed at the edges, dark green with a satin finish, finely veined with a light silver-green. This Hellebore is hardy down to -20°C and tolerates a wide range of soils, whether they are limestone or clay, humiferous or sandy, constantly moist or even occasionally dry in summer. 

One of the main assets of this Hellebore is its generous flowering, gradually turning pink with infinite grace. From the first year, more than twenty flowers already appear on the plants. New flowers constantly form, creating a beautiful contrast between the open and faded flowers. They 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 light shade plants in brighter colors. They are well highlighted when planted near Pieris, small-sized rhododendrons, under conifers (especially in windy sites). Surround them with beautifully named "cuckoo" primroses, wood anemones, wood hyacinths, Corydalis, bleeding hearts, cardamines, or spring-flowering bulbs and snowdrops. You can also accompany them with ferns and shade-loving Euphorbias to create a beautiful contrast a little later in the season. They can also be planted in groups, like a bouquet, near the entrance of the house, in partially shaded locations, to enjoy their early flowering up close. They are suitable for flower beds, borders as well as containers,... Over time, the flowers of the Hellebore do not fade like the majority of other flowers but dry up.