Christmas roses breathe life into desolate gardens in winter. Here you can find out what you should pay particular attention to when buying Christmas roses.
Christmas roses (Helleborus niger) open their flowers when many other plants are currently in hibernation, because originally the black one comes from Hellebore from Southeast Asia, from where it spreads to the west after the height of the last Ice Age (about 20,000 years ago) has spread. In Europe, it now prefers to grow in its natural environment in bushy and sparse forests. The robust plant can even be found at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters. Since there are hardly any wild specimens left in many places, Christmas roses are particularly protected under the Federal Species Protection Ordinance. So if you want a Christmas rose for your garden, you should use cultivars from the garden center or from a nursery.
Buy Christmas roses
Christmas roses are long-lived and can even reach an age of up to 30 years. But only a healthy, strong Christmas rose will delight you with lots of flowers. In the following we explain what you have to consider when buying new Christmas roses. We also introduce you to some recommended sources of supply.
Buying Christmas roses: what you should pay attention to
Next to Helleborus niger there are about 20 more HelleborusSpecies that are all often incorrectly grouped under the name "Christmas rose". For example, the oriental hellebore (Helleborus orientalis), which is also called spring rose or spring rose. While Christmas roses open their flowers as early as November, spring roses do not bloom until January to March. It is best to plant Christmas roses in the garden in autumn (September to November) when the soil is still warmed up by the summer sun. Only at this time are they usually also available in the nurseries. The colorful spring roses are more likely to be available in spring due to the later flowering.
In addition to choosing the right variety, you should make sure that the selected Christmas rose is healthy and strong. Despite their robustness, Christmas roses can also be affected by fungal attack. If black spots can be seen on the leaves of the plant, it is probably the so-called black spot disease, that of fungi of the genus Phoma or Microsphaeropsis caused. If the shoots of the Christmas rose snap off at the bottom for no apparent reason and turn brown at the base have black rotten spots, it is an infestation with the so-called rhizome or Stem rot. Pests - such as aphids - like to eat Christmas roses. Once the diseases or vermin have been introduced into the garden, they are difficult to get rid of. Therefore, when buying, make sure that you only select healthy plants.
Summary tips for buying Christmas roses:
- Labeling (type, location, size) and care instructions available
- No damage to the shoots
- No stained or eaten leaves
- No pests
- Good root penetration
- No putrefaction smell
Buy Christmas roses: Recommended sources of supply
Christmas roses are sold in many online shops, but the photos do not always deliver what they promise in terms of flower color. To avoid nasty surprises, you should consider going straight to a well-stocked perennial nursery or garden center during flowering to choose a suitable plant.
If you're looking for inspiration, you might find it here:
Nielsen tree nursery:
The Nielsen tree nursery was founded in 1925 and has been owned by the Nielsen family ever since. If you want, you can visit the location in Soltau (Lower Saxony) during the opening times or by appointment. You can also use the Online shopfrom an assortment of around 50 different HelleborusSelect types and varieties. In addition to classic Christmas roses, one or the other exotic specialty can be found. There is also a colorful selection of spring rose varieties.
Volmary - Grow for Gold:
The internationally operating family company has its headquarters in Münster (Westphalia). in the Online shop there is a small selection of varieties from the Helleborus Gold Collection. Strict test criteria and tests over several years at various locations guarantee that these varieties are particularly robust, blooming, long-lived and healthy. If you want, you can have a certain variety reserved at a local sales partner and then pick it up in person.
Praskac - The Plant Country:
The Praskac family is now the fifth generation to run their tree nursery in Tulln (Lower Austria). in the Online shop there is a small but fine range of snow roses - that's what Christmas roses are called in Austria. There are also some colorful varieties of Helleborus orientalis available for purchase. But a trip is not only worthwhile in the virtual shop. The garden center with 15,000 m² of exhibition space is open all year round and is always worth a visit.
All information about the Planting, caring for and propagating Christmas roses can be found in our comprehensive review article.