Hellebore Double Ellen Red Helleborus

Hellebore Double Ellen Red Helleborus
Hellebore Double Ellen Red is a pretty winter flowering perennial hellebore that suits shady spots and brightens the winter garden.

Hellebores are part of the buttercup family known as Ranunculaceae and are often called the Christmas Rose or the Lenten Rose as they flower during winter. The Double Ellen variety of hellebore is a new double-flowered Orientalis hybrid from Dutch breeder Ellen Akerboom. 

Helleborus Double Ellen Red is a large cup-shaped red-pink double hellebore with ruffled edges. The petals have a purple freckled trim and yellow-cream stamens standing out from the centre. Flowers appear in early winter and last until February on upright stems held above the foliage. Its dark green clump-forming foliage is usually evergreen with new growth appearing in early winter.  

Height and Spread of Hellebore Double Ellen Red
Hellebore Double Ellen Red is a low-growing clump-forming plant that will reach around 35 cms tall and the same across. It will spread if left undisturbed. 

How Hardy Is Hellebore Double Ellen Red
Helleborus Double Ellen Red is hardy and able to withstand minus degree temperatures if its roots are well-drained. It does not like hot sun and will do best planted in shade. 

How To Use Hellebore Double Ellen Red
Helleborus Double Ellen Red creates attractive ground cover in shady areas and looks good planted beneath deciduous trees or shrubs. It’s a pretty addition to a winter garden filling empty spaces until the spring flowers take over. Hellebores look stunning planted in a swathe of colours, so we also stock other Hellebore varieties such as Double Ellen Pink Spotted and Double Ellen Purple.
The open-centred winter blooms provide much-needed nectar for late pollinators and because the clump-forming foliage provides habitats for small insects hellebores are an essential part of a year-round wildlife garden.
You can grow Helleborus Double Ellen Red as a pot plant with underplanted early spring bulbs such as snowdrops. This creates a long-lasting flower display that remains attractive for months. 

How To Care For Hellebore Double Ellen Red
Hellebores need little attention and are low maintenance enough to leave to their own devices, but if you remove the lower leaves during winter it is easier to appreciate the pretty flowers. 
Helleborus Double Ellen Red will thrive in moist shade of most types including chalk. 
Plant beneath existing shrubs and apply a thick layer of mulch each autumn to trap moisture and provide essential nutrients for the growing year.