Hellebores beget enchanting late winter and early spring flowers that last for months.

This shade-loving perennial produces flowers with five outer sepals that have the appearance of petals and are cup shaped. The sepals often have a greenish tinge. Nectaries, modified petals, form a ring at the base of the sepals. Within the ring of nectaries are stamens that are present in large numbers. In the center of the flower are the carpels or seedpods.

Hellebores belong to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, and the Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis, are common names for favorite hellebores.

In the Virginia Garden, the hellebores are deer resistant.