Christmas roses breathe life into dreary 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 in hibernation, because the black one originally came from Hellebore from Southeast Asia, from where it spread west after the peak of the last Ice Age (about 20,000 years ago). has spread. In its natural environment, it now prefers to grow in Europe in bushy and sparse forests. The robust plant can sometimes even be found at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters. However, since there are hardly any specimens growing wild 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 please you with many blossoms. In the following we will explain what you need to consider when buying new Christmas roses. We also provide you with some recommended sources of supply.
Buying Christmas roses: You should pay attention to this
Next to Helleborus niger there are about 20 more HelleborusSpecies, all of which are often mistakenly grouped together under the name "Christmas Rose". For example, it is very well known Oriental Hellebore (Hellebore orientalis), which is also called Lenten Rose or Spring Christmas Rose. While Christmas roses open their flowers as early as November, spring roses only bloom from January to March. It is best to plant Christmas roses in the garden in autumn (September to November) when the soil is still warm from the summer sun. Only at this time are they usually also available in 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 Christmas rose you choose is healthy and strong. Despite their robustness, Christmas roses can also be affected by fungal infestation. If black spots can be seen on the leaves of the plant, it is probably the so-called black spot disease, which is caused by fungi of the genus Phoma or Microsphaeropsis is caused. If the shoots of the Christmas rose snap at the bottom for no apparent reason and brown at the base until 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 brought into the garden, they are difficult to get rid of. Therefore, when buying, make sure that you only select healthy plants.
Summary of tips for buying Christmas roses:
- Labeling (variety, location, size) and care instructions available
- No damage to the shoots
- No stained or gnawed leaves
- No pests
- Good rooting
- No smell of rot
Buy Christmas roses: Recommended sources of supply
Christmas roses are offered in many online shops, but the photos don't always live up to their promises when it comes to the color of the flowers. In order to avoid nasty surprises, you should consider going directly to a well-stocked perennial nursery or garden center during the flowering period to choose a suitable plant.
If you're looking for inspiration, you might find it here:
Nursery Nielsen:
Nielsen Nurseries 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 opening hours or by appointment. In addition, you can Online shopfrom an assortment of about 50 different ones Helleborus-Select types and varieties. In addition to classic Christmas roses, one or the other exotic specialty can also be found. There is also a colorful selection of spring rose varieties.
Volmary - Grow for Gold:
The international family business 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, floriferous, long-lived and healthy. If you want, you can also reserve a certain variety from a sales partner in the vicinity and then pick it up personally.
Praskac – The Plant Land:
The Praskac family is 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. In addition, some colorful varieties of Hellebore orientalis offered for sale. But a trip is not only worthwhile to 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 Planting, caring for and propagating Christmas roses can be found in our comprehensive overview article.