Hellebores and Heather
Every year, in early February, I reach for these two flowering, cold-hardy plants: Hellebores and Heather. They’re tough enough to bloom through our occasional snow, and their elegant, muted shades are a perfect transition out of the gray Winter. Combine them with Primrose, Sweetheart Ivy, and Pussy Willow for a sophisticated container garden that will satisfy you until Spring is in full swing.
Calculated Risks in Containers
It pays to experiment in your container gardens. These shade- and sun-loving perennials and evergreens coexist and bloom happily with 3 hours of sun daily from early February through March (Zone 7A).
Hellebores galore
Hellebores are winter-blooming perennials with tough, leathery leaves and flowers that form on tall stems. The varieties available at retail are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Their long-lasting blooms range from almost black, to burgundy, dusty pink, and creamy white. Most flower colors evolve as the season progresses, which gives you an added bit of interest. In my arrangements above, the sepals of Hellebore ‘Winter Bliss’ have already matured from cream to light green.
Winter Heather
Winter Heather, also known as Erica, is a cute little evergreen bush that can flower from Fall through Winter. During this time, the branches are covered in tiny bell-shaped flowers creating the appearance of colorful spires. They bring a sweet, almost dotted pattern to any container garden. The two varieties I’m able to find most frequently at retail are ‘White Perfection’ and ‘Mediterranean Pink’. Their dense texture is a nice counterpoint to the broad leaves and striking flowers of Hellebores.
key to success
Please remember this when container gardening deep into the winter…or early in the spring, depending on how you look at it: Buy plants that have been hardened off (gradually acclimated to wind and freezing temperatures) by the grower so they don’t get shocked when you plant them outside this time of year. You may see some perfect Hellebores on display outside at your favorite garden center, but it’s possible they’ve been nurtured in a warmer, controlled environment for the last few months. If they haven’t already been hardened off, their outermost leaves and flowers may literally burn in the cold. It’s unlikely that will kill the plant, but you’ll need to trim off the damaged parts and wait for new growth — which sort of defeats the purpose of this instantly gratifying design. Note: I see this as a bigger risk for Hellebores, less so for the evergreen Heather.
If you can’t get plants that are already hardened off, you can do it yourself. I refer to this a the “plant shuffle”. Water your plants, bring them outside for a few hours each day, then back into the protection of a garage, shed, or hoop house. Do this for 10-14 days. If you’re antsy to plant, you can also cover your completed containers when the forecast calls for anything around 32 degrees. After 2-3 weeks, they’ll probably be acclimated and you can relax.
EXPERIMENT IN YOUR CONTAINER GARDENS
There’s something really fun about how irreverent this combo is: shade-tolerant hellebores and sun-loving heather! Who does that?! It must be our cool temperatures paired with just enough sun peeking through leafless trees to create an equilibrium and allow these plants to coexist happily. Guess how I figured this out years ago? I experimented. My justification was as follows:
It’s a short shoulder season, so I didn’t need everything to live happily together for very long.
With no leaves on the trees, my arrangements would still get a few hours of mild, Winter sun — possibly enough to keep the Heather happy.
Both plants were in bloom and available at my local garden center simultaneously, and happened to look stunning together on my cart. Convenience had a LOT to do with it.
Not all of my experiments work, but this one certainly did! Now I look forward to Hellebore and Heather Season every February.
XO,