Helleborus 'Jasper' 2L

Helleborus ‘Jasper’ is a Christmas rose from the Helleborus Gold Collection®, and it flowers right on time for the festive season. From around December, it produces a generous crop of brilliant white blooms, each with a delicate yellow-green centre. What sets ‘Jasper’ apart from the ordinary Christmas rose is its extra, overlapping petals, which give every flower a full, rounded, cupped shape. The blooms face upwards and outwards rather than hanging their heads, so the display is easy to enjoy even on a grey winter’s day. As the flowers mature they may take on a soft blush tint. It’s listed as an RHS Plant for Pollinators, because it gives early bees a welcome source of food when little else is flowering.

‘Jasper’ forms a neat, compact clump of glossy, leathery evergreen leaves, usually around 30–45cm high. It looks good all year at the front of a border, under roses and shrubs, or in a woodland planting. It’s also a superb choice for winter pots and window boxes, and a few stems cut for the house make a lovely seasonal decoration.

Plant in partial shade, ideally in moist, fertile, humus-rich soil that is neutral to alkaline. It will tolerate more sun than many hellebores, provided the soil doesn’t dry out. Give it some shelter from strong, cold winds, and mulch each autumn. Remove old or marked leaves to help prevent leaf spot, and deadhead to encourage more flowers. ‘Jasper’ is fully hardy, and deer usually leave it alone. Like all hellebores, every part of the plant is harmful if eaten and the sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves when handling it and plant it away from inquisitive pets and children.

Supplied in a 2 litre pot.

Each plant is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.