Helleborus HGC Merlin®

Genus:Helleborus
Species:x ballardiae
Item Form:1-Quart
Zone:5 – 9
Bloom Start to End:Early Winter – Early Spring
Habit:Mound-shaped
Height:10 in – 12 in
Width:15 in
Additional Characteristics:Flower
Bloom Color:Light Burgundy,Light Magenta,Light Pink,Light Rose
Foliage Color:Blue Green,Dark Green
Light Requirements:Part Shade,Shade
Moisture Requirements:Moist, well-drained
Resistance:Deer Resistance
Soil Tolerance:Normal, loamy
Uses:Beds,Border,Containers,Cut Flowers,Foliage Interest,Outdoor,Winter Interest;Restrictions: *Due to state restrictions we cannot ship to the following:Hawaii,Puerto Rico,Virgin Islands,Idaho,Canada,Guam

Winter blooms are hard to find, and this exciting hellebore offers breathtaking pale pink blossoms blushed with pink that mature to a rich cranberry color. They open from fat rosy buds all over this mounded, well branched plant, which thrives in full to partial shade. Who could ask for anything more?

Merlin is part of the Gold Collection of compact, free-flowering Lenten roses. The flowers begin opening in late winter and continue well into spring, making excellent cuts for the vase (float them in a bowl of water to really show off the blooms) as well as a stunning garden presence. While the rest of the garden sleeps, this long-lived perennial is up and blooming.

The foliage is bluish-gray and quite attractive, and because Merlin, like all hellebores, is poisonous, nibbling creatures leave it alone. Use it in open woodland settings, in the shade border, and as a guard plant for your hostas and ferns. Vigorous and very adaptable, Merlin will naturalize over time, colonizing the shade and transforming it with color and texture just when the garden needs it most.

Photo credit (C)Heuger.