Hardy throughout most of the United States (zones 4 to 9), hellebores ask for very little. Most want partial shade, well-drained soil, and a bed deep enough to accommodate their extensive root systems. In addition to delivering early-blooming, long-lasting flowers, many hellebores easily divide to create multiple plants. Just wait until they're fully established in your garden (at least two years) before digging up and dividing them, in late spring or early fall.
Pictured:Extra-Large Flowers: H. x hybridus 'Cherry Blossom' Hellebore blooms tend to top out at two to three inches wide. These fuchsia-veined blossoms, however, stretch to well over three inches in diameter.
As this species's common name—Christmas rose—suggests, it often starts flowering by late December. The subspecies macranthus, pictured here, sports particularly beautiful white to pale-pink blossoms.
This hellebore's foliage is finer than most, allowing the full, fluffy flowers—a striking combination of magenta, yellow, and green—to take center stage.
Native to Corsica, this green giant—which can reach heights of five feet (as opposed to the usual one to two)—actually prefers six hours of direct light each day.
Often called the stinking hellebore for the odor released when its foliage is crushed, this widely grown beauty's small, bell-like flowers linger for up to three full months.
Though a relatively late bloomer (typically from mid-March to early April), this Lenten rose boasts a mysterious blue-purple hue that almost reads black.
A vigorous hybrid with genes from H. niger and H. argutifolius, 'Candy Love' produces as many as 24 buds per stem.