DECORATIVE HIGHLIGHT ON THE BALCONY, TERRACE OR DOORSTEP
In winter, Christmas Roses, Snow Roses and Lenten Roses combined with conifers, eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) and other evergreen frost-tolerant plants, decorate spaces on the balcony, terrace or doorstep that are normally brightened up with summer flowers.
Use Christmas Roses from the Helleborus Gold Collection® with some pine branches to create bright winter planters or window box plantings.
Snow Rose Ice N' Roses® varieties make magnificent specimen plants in planters.
WEALTH OF BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS ON BALCONIES AND WINDOWSILLS
Compact-growing Christmas Rose varieties are the natural choice for balcony railing planters and window boxes. Larger-growing varieties would soon get crowded in the small space offered by these types of containers. Christmas Roses, such as HGC® Jonas or HGC® Jacob, which grow to a height of 15-25 cm, create a festive winter spirit in the smallest of places, decorating balconies and windowsills alike. After the show in the planter has ended, varieties such as HGC® Jesko are best planted in a place in the garden that is shaded during the summer. The winter sun doesn't bother most of the varieties. They don't mind being placed on the sunny side in winter. In summer however, they absolutely need to be in a place in the shade. If you don't own a garden, you can transplant your beloved winter flowerers from the window box to a large planter to give them more space to grow in.
STYLISH CONTAINER PLANTINGS TO DECORATE YOUR TERRACE
Large planters seasonally also offer more sprawling Snow Roses enough space to spread out. The colourful blooms of Snow Roses create cheerful highlights in the dark time of the year. The robust winter flowerers look best when combined in groups of two or three different-coloured varieties as this composition allows them to optimally stage their abundant wealth of colours, which is so very unusual for the time of year. For an aesthetically appealing appearance, it is essential that planters and plant match well. The match is not just required in terms of choice of colour. An adequate proportion between sizes is equally important. If the height of the plant is roughly the same as that of the planter, you are on the right track. If you choose a tall planter, you want to plant it with a tall-growing Snow Rose for an adequate proportion. The basic rule of thumb is that low-growing Christmas Roses look especially nice in a flat planter or tub.
Floral decoration for entrance areas
Winter-flowering Christmas Roses and Snow Roses embody a warm welcome on the doorstep, especially around Christmastime. They look just as good solo or plain as they do combined with other plants or seasonally decorated. The flowering welcome will delight everyone crossing your doorstep during the dark time of year. For floral decorations of entrance areas, large, thick-walled containers are your best choice to prevent the soil from easily freezing. Christmas Roses and Snow Roses can be arranged solo or together with other hardy companions to create festive and lush, or natural and restrained displays to suit your own taste. Suitable partners for the decoration of entrance areas include eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), small Alberta spruce 'Conica' (Picea glauca var. conica), sedges (Carex), shrubby veronica (Hebe x andersonii) or brightly coloured alum root (Heuchera hybrids).
Planting instructions for planters
Helleborus is a deep rooter, so if planting hellebores in a container, you want to use containers that are deep enough. Planters should be thick-walled and sufficiently large to prevent the soil from freezing easily as the plants cannot absorb water when the roots are frozen. They should also be frost-proof. Make absolutely sure to avoid waterlogging by always using containers with drainage holes.
Use any standard planting media with a pH level that is not too acidic (do not use peat moss on any account; it is most unsuitable). To prevent the drainage hole from being blocked, place a layer of several centimetres of clay fragments or expanded clay granules at the bottom of the container. During the winter, check every now and then that the drainage holes are not frozen up.
For the summer, move the planters to a shady place, where your hellebores will serve as a lovely ornamental foliage plant. Hellebores can be planted out in the garden in spring after flowering. Remove any old or damaged leaves and dead flowers before planting to allow the newly forming leaves to develop unhindered.
