PlantFiles: Corsican Hellebore, Corsican Rose
Helleborus argutifolius

This plant looks like a delicate seedling, but is tough as nails. I planted out some seedlings early last summer, and thought for sure I'd kill them (their stems seem so delicate, but are just good and wiry.)

The plants have grown tremendously since being planted out, and are close to a foot tall already.

I live on the north shore of Lake Ontario (zone 6a). I bought my Corsican Hellebore late last summer and planted it on the north side of my house. It bloomed in January, then the foilage slowly died in the sub-zero weather over the winter. I found rotted foliage after the snow melted early this spring and wrote it off. BUT!!! It came back in early May, and is now (June 22nd) beautiful and lush. A very hardy plant with flowers at an amazing time of year-just when they're needed.

WARNING. Do NOT allow any sap from Argutifolius to come into contact with the skin as it can produce a severe allergic reaction. This happened to my wife whilst dead-heading the plants.

This easy-to-care-for plant has thrived in sun or shade, taken transplanting in stride and thumbed its nose at our voracious neighborhood deer. (Nary a nibble.) The pale green blooms light up shady spots through the winter and spring, and the sawtoothed foliage looks great year-round.

This plant is so hardy it blooms as soon as it works it's way out of the snow in the spring and maintains the blossoms until the snow covers them in the winter. Very tough and leathery leaves. A great asset to any perennial garden.