Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Coseh860'
WINTER ROSE
Trademark Name: Helleborus Monte Cristo
Family: Ranunculaceae
Pronounced: hel-eh-BOR-us
Quick Jumps
Growing Guide
Rainy Side Notes
GROWING GUIDE
Origin:
Garden.
Plant group:
Perennials.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 2-9, 14-24.
USDA zones: 5-8.
Heat zones: 8-5.
Mature size:
Height: 11-18 inches (28-45 cm).
Width: 18 inches (45 cm).
Flowering period:
January through March.
Flowering attributes:
Peachy-rose flower buds open to creamy-white, outward-facing flowers that mature to a peachy-rose blush.
Leaf attributes:
Blue-gray lance-shaped leaves on red stems.
Growth habit:
Upright.
Light:
Full sun and part to full shade.
Soil:
Fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Add mulch in summer.
Feeding:
Side dress with compost or manure. Fertilize in spring with a complete organic fertilizer.
Propagation methods:
Divide in late spring to early summer.
Pruning methods:
Remove older leaves in spring.
Rainy Side Notes
As I sat writing my notes in early January, a group of tantalizing Helleborus Monte Cristo™ plants bloomed outside my window. Daring me to come outside and take a closer look at their first open flowers of the season, they won. I took the dare and grabbed my camera, went outside, and captured their beauty in a few portraits.
I would grow this compact perennial just for its steel blue-gray foliage. I recommend planting them at the front of the border so you can enjoy them year round. Additionally, grow them because they're stars in the winter garden! In the Pacific Northwest, this hellebore opens its first flowers in early January, and keeps flowering well into March.
At the end of March, the plant still looks great! The flowers age gracefully to a dark dusky pink with shades of blue-green that match the foliage. Very few plants have this exceptionally long flowering period where the flowers stand up to the ravages of mid to late winter looking unblemished. It melds wonderfully with the fresh spring flowers springing up around them.
My only negative comment I can make about Helleborus ‘COSEH860’ is I wish the breeders had given this cultivar a better botanical name. One that would stand up to the test of time when the horticulture industry’s improper use of trademark names is ruled invalid and we are stuck with calling it ‘COSEH860’.
Photographed in author's garden.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton
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