Hellebore Plant Tips

Close-up of Helleborus flowers with text overlay promoting planting tips from Must Have Perennials.

Winter Gardening with the Helleborus Rockies Series

How to Help These Hardy Beauties Thrive in the Cold

If you want to bring life to your winter garden, start with the Helleborus Rockies Series. This series is the perfect choice. The varieties boast bold, long-lasting blooms and sturdy evergreen foliage. Varieties like Grand Teton, Snowshoe Mountain, Hollowtop Mountain, Pike’s Peak, Mount Nebo, and Table Mountain are built to shine.

Here’s how to keep these rugged yet elegant hellebores happy through winter and beyond.

Collage showcasing the Grand Teton variety of Helleborus Rockies Series with close-up images of its unique leaves and flowers. The main focus is on the potted plant with blooming flowers.

Keep Them Cozy in the Cold

Hellebores are known for their winter hardiness, but even these mountain-named beauties appreciate a little protection. Winter weather can turn bitter. If snow cover is lacking, lightly mulch around the base of the plant with straw or dry leaves. This helps insulate the roots and shields developing flower buds from frost damage.

Close-up images of the Helleborus 'Table Mountain' variety, featuring its burgundy flower and vibrant yellow-green foliage, set against a black background with text labeling it as part of the Rockies Helleborus series.

Start with Potted Plants for Best Results

If you want to enjoy blooms sooner rather than later, start with potted plants. They’re already established and are the fastest, easiest way to get flowers in your garden.

Have an older plant in your garden? Divide it in early fall or spring to grow your collection.

Watering: Check, Don’t Guess

Check the soil about 1–2 inches down. If it feels dry, it’s time to water. Natural snow and rainfall usually do the job. Still, during dry stretches, give your plants a little drink. This is especially important if they’re newly planted or in containers.

Collage of Helleborus Rockies Series, featuring the Hollowtop Mountain variety with green foliage and white flowers.

Feed Lightly at the Right Time

The best time to fertilize your Helleborus Rockies varieties is in late winter to early spring, when you see new growth starting. Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer or work some compost into the soil.

Skip feeding in late fall or mid-winter—this can lead to soft, frost-sensitive growth that won’t hold up well in the cold.

Close-up of the Mount Nebo hellebore with green flowers and mixed green and purple leaves, showcasing its features in a visually appealing collage.

Planting Tips for Success

When planting varieties like Pike’s Peak or Mount Nebo, choose a spot with rich, well-draining soil. Ensure it is in partial to full shade. These plants don’t like soggy roots, so make sure the area drains well. If needed, amend your soil with compost or a bit of sand.

Also, don’t bury the crown (where the stems meet the roots). Keep it just above soil level to avoid rot.

A close-up collage of the Helleborus 'Snowshoe Mountain' variety, showcasing its unique green and purple foliage and delicate flowers.

Winter Cleanup = Healthier Plants

As winter winds down, take a few minutes to trim off old, damaged, or spotted leaves. This simple cleanup helps prevent fungal diseases and makes space for the new flowers to take center stage.

While hellebores are evergreen, it’s normal for their foliage to look a little tired after a long winter. Don’t be afraid to give them a light trim.

Important note: All hellebores are toxic if ingested, so be mindful around pets and small children.

Close-up images of the 'Pike's Peak' variety of Helleborus Rockies, featuring a yellow flower and textured, silvery foliage.

Bring a Touch of the Mountains to Your Garden

With their elegant blooms, the Helleborus Rockies Series adds rugged beauty to your garden. It brings the spirit of the mountains into your garden all winter long. Each variety—from the soft petals of Snowshoe Mountain to the bold colors of Table Mountain—offers something unique.

Give them a little care during the colder months, and you’ll be rewarded with blooms when everything else is sleeping.

Happy winter gardening!

Top Drought-Tolerant Perennials for Stunning Gardens

A vibrant display of yellow Rudbeckia flowers, commonly known as Black-eyed Susans, with a green background, featuring overlay text promoting drought-tolerant plants.

Drought-Tolerant Must Have Perennials®: Beauty That Thrives with Less Water

Looking to create a stunning garden that’s both beautiful and water-wise? These Must Have Perennials® offer just that. They provide bold color, interesting textures, and reliable performance. They are also impressively drought-tolerant once established. Whether you’re dealing with dry summers, or you desire a landscape that requires less maintenance, explore these exceptional perennials. They thrive with minimal watering.

Collage of various leaf shapes and colors of Rockies Helleborus, with the text 'ROCKIES HELLEBORUS' prominently displayed.

🌸 Helleborus: The Rockies Collection

Lenten Roses are known for their early blooms. They often pop up in late winter to early spring. Their flowers are elegant and have a nodding cup shape. These long-lived perennials offer beauty in hues of white, pink, maroon, yellow, and chartreuse green. They are also reliable performers in shady and drought-prone areas once established.

Why Gardeners Love Them:

Shade friendly – Ideal under trees or in dappled light.
Drought-resistant – Needs some moisture but tolerates dry spells well after establishment.
Low-maintenance – Evergreen foliage, deer- and rabbit-resistant, and long-lived blooms.
Soil adaptable – Prefers rich, well-drained soil but handles sandy or clay conditions too.

Hardiness Zones: 6–9
Exposure: Part to full shade
Height: 8–10″
Spread: 12–14″
Habit: Mounded

Standout Varieties from the Rockies Series:

Hollowtop Mountain – White flowers, marbled foliage, red petioles.
Snowshoe Mountain – Rose-tinted new growth with freckled green-pink blooms.
Mount Nebo – Pink, white, and green speckled leaves with bright yellow anthers.
Pike’s Peak – Chartreuse blooms and silver-toned foliage.
Grand Teton – Dark burgundy flowers with dramatic blue-grey foliage.
Table Mountain – Stunning gold with purple petioles.

A collage of colorful flowers from the Seduction Series, featuring shades of pink, red, yellow, and purple yarrow blooms, displayed with a bold red banner that reads 'Seduction Series'.

🌼 Achillea (Yarrow): Tough and Cheerful

Yarrow (Achillea) is a staple for drought-tolerant gardens. Once established, it needs little to no watering, thanks to its deep-reaching roots.

Why Gardeners Love It:

Long bloom time – From summer well into fall.
Attracts pollinators – Bees and butterflies love it.
Low-maintenance – Thrives on neglect, just deadhead for continuous blooms.
Colorful blooms – Comes in white, pink, red, and yellow tones.

Seduction Series:
🌸 Peachy Seduction
🍓 Strawberry Seduction
☀️ Sunny Seduction
🌶️ Saucy Seduction

Bloom Time: Mid-June to July
Hardiness Zones: 4–8
Height: Upright habit
Light: Full Sun
Use: Borders, containers, cut/dried flowers

A colorful arrangement of four drought-tolerant plants: Rudbeckia with bright yellow flowers, Echinacea with bold pink blooms, Verbena with clusters of purple flowers, and Sedum with fleshy, textured leaves.

🌻 Rudbeckia: Bright, Bold, and Resilient

Often called Black-eyed Susans, Rudbeckias are iconic garden perennials that bring long-lasting color — and they’re incredibly tough.

Why Gardeners Love Them:

Heat and drought-tolerant – Once rooted, they rarely need extra water.
Wildlife-friendly – Butterflies in bloom season, birds in winter.
Bold color – Cheerful yellows stand out in any garden.

🌻 Featured Variety: Rudbeckia ‘Viette’s Little Suzy’

Height: 12–14″
Spread: 15″
Hardiness Zones: 4–8
Bloom Time: Spring through Summer
Light: Full Sun
Use: Containers, front borders, pollinator gardens

🌿 Sedum: The Succulent Superstar

Sedum’s succulent-like leaves are built for drought. These fleshy foliage plants store water, making them top performers in dry conditions — from rock gardens to containers.

Why Gardeners Love Them:

Extremely drought-tolerant – Ideal for xeriscaping.
Seasonal interest – Deep crimson foliage shifts to green, then darkens in fall.
Pollinator magnet – Attracts butterflies.
Low-fuss maintenance – Minimal pruning; just cut back in winter.

🌿 Featured Variety: Sedum ‘Key of Heaven’

Height: 31–35″
Spread: 8–10″
Hardiness Zones: 5–9
Light: Full Sun
Bloom Time: Late Summer to Early Autumn
Use: Borders, containers, cut/dried flowers

🌺 Echinacea (Coneflower): Wildflower Power

Coneflowers are a gardener’s favorite for good reason — they bring color, pollinators, and don’t mind the heat or drought. These hardy natives thrive in sun-drenched borders with minimal care.

Why Gardeners Love Them:

Drought-hardy – Little watering needed once established.
Pollinator paradise – Butterflies and bees adore them.
Extended bloom – Deadhead to prolong flowering into fall.
Striking form – Tall stems topped with daisy-like flowers.

🌺 Featured Variety: Echinacea purpurea ‘Lovely Lolly’

Height: 20–24″
Spread: 14–16″
Hardiness Zones: 6
Bloom Time: Summer to Autumn
Light: Full Sun
Use: Borders, mixed containers, cut flowers

Verbena Lollipop

🌸 Verbena ‘Lollipop’ PBR
Compact & colorful! This dwarf Verbena bonariensis has a dense flower canopy, perfect for front borders or cutting. 🌿 Long-blooming from spring to autumn, and a magnet for butterflies 🦋.
🏆 2nd Best New Plant – Woking Show (UK)
📏 24”/60cm H x 24”/60cm W
❄️ Hardy to -17°C / 0°F (Zones 8–9)
☀️ Full Sun | 🌼 Blooms Spring–Autumn | 🌱 Mounded habit

A drought-tolerant garden doesn’t mean sacrificing color, texture or beauty — it just means planting smart. The Rockies Hellebores add shaded elegance, and Sedum ‘Key of Heaven’ and Echinacea ‘Lovely Lolly’ bring sun-loving resilience. These Must Have Perennials® offer vibrant options. They are pollinator-friendly and need less watering and maintenance. Whether you’re designing a low-water landscape, these selections are the perfect place to start. Or if you simply want plants that can tough it out through dry spells, consider these options.

Top Must Have Perennials® for a Vibrant Garden

Must Have Perennials® You’ll Love

Top Must Have Perennials® for a Vibrant Garden

If you’re dreaming of a garden that bursts with color, texture, and pollinator-friendly blooms season after season, look no further than the Must Have Perennials® collection. With a curated selection of long-lasting, easy-to-grow favorites, this brand offers reliable performers that bring life to every corner of your outdoor space — from sunny borders to shaded nooks.

Here’s a handpicked guide to some of the best Must Have Perennials® to transform every part of your garden:

💜 Hardy Geranium ‘Azure Rush’

A field of hardy geraniums 'Azure Rush' featuring a mix of light purple and pink blossoms surrounded by lush green foliage.

For a perennial that pulls double duty, Hardy Geraniums like ‘Azure Rush’ are unbeatable. These ground-hugging charmers bloom in late spring and can rebloom if trimmed after flowering. Their spreading habit makes them perfect for filling gaps in beds or softening edges.

🌸 Aster ‘Vibrant Dome’

A vibrant bush of pink Aster flowers in full bloom, showcasing rich shades of pink with yellow centers, surrounded by green foliage.

Late summer into fall can feel like the garden’s final bow, but Asters keep the show going. ‘Vibrant Dome’ lights up beds with daisy-like blooms in rich shades of pink and purple. These tough, sun-loving perennials are not just eye-catching—they’re long-lived, often thriving for over a decade!

🍃 Heuchera Summer Haze Series

Close-up of flowering stems with small greenish-yellow flowers against dark mulch, showcasing the delicate buds and foliage.

Heuchera
White

Close-up of flowering plant with pink and white blossoms against a green background.

Heuchera
Light Pink

Close-up of vibrant pink flowering plants in a garden setting.

Heuchera
Dark Pink

Add texture and vibrant foliage to shadier spots with Heuchera, a compact perennial that works beautifully in containers or as edging in beds. ‘Summer Haze’ offers a stunning mix of colors with an airy structure, thriving in light shade and making it perfect for softening woodland paths or patios.

🌿 Sedum ‘Key of Heaven’

A vibrant potted plant featuring clusters of pink flowers and dark green foliage, sitting on a rustic green table with a blurred background of garden furniture and additional plants.

Famous for their drought tolerance and fleshy, succulent-like leaves, Sedums are the workhorses of low-maintenance gardening. Excellent for rock gardens or ground cover – either way these not only bloom beautifully but also make striking cut flowers. A favorite for pollinators and gardeners alike.

🔔 Campanula

Charming, bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, and white make Campanula a delightful choice for garden borders. These perennials prefer full sun but are forgiving of light shade. Their whimsical blooms add a cottage-garden feel to any landscape.

🌼 Echinacea ‘Lovely Lolly’

Close-up of vibrant pink flowers with layered petals, likely a coneflower variety, surrounded by green leaves and a blurred garden background.

Coneflowers (Echinacea) are garden staples — and ‘Lovely Lolly’ is a standout! With its candy-pink petals and sturdy stems, this full-sun perennial is perfect for creating vibrant, pollinator-friendly displays. Bonus: They make excellent cut flowers and come back strong year after year.

🔥 Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’

Close-up of vibrant orange and yellow Helenium flowers with dark brown centers, surrounded by lush green foliage.

Bring personality to your borders with Helenium, often called sneezeweed (don’t worry — it’s not allergenic!). This tall stunner has fiery orange and yellow blooms. It thrives in sunny spots, and it is ideal for late summer color. It’s also a magnet for bees and butterflies.

🌞 Coreopsis

Light and airy, Coreopsis adds a touch of cheer with its yellow blooms bobbing above fine, grass-like foliage. This sun-loving perennial attracts beneficial pollinators and is a great pick for low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly gardens.

🌿 With their trusted performance, unique varieties, and garden-tested resilience, Must Have Perennials® lives up to its name. Whether you’re planning a full garden makeover, or just looking to fill a few sunny spots, or even shady ones, these plants offer something for every garden style.

Ready to plant something unforgettable? Explore more at MustHavePerennials.com.

Create a cottage garden with Must Have Perennials®

Create a cottage garden this year with Must Have Perennials®

Plant These Must Have Perennials® and transform your garden into a lovely cottage garden

Many gardeners just want to achieve that English Garden look with blue and purple ground covers, windswept flowers and cascading plants over rocks and stone walls. Perennial plants and flowers are a great investment because you can plant them once and enjoy them as part of your landscape
for years to come. Why not create a perennial garden that showcases these cottage garden plants?

Geranium Hardy Geraniums are great performers and help create a desirable English garden. Create beautiful borders, and ground covers with varieties like Geranium Rozanne®, Azure Rush®, and ‘Eureka Blue’.

For inspiration we look to Adrian Bloom, who creates “Rivers” of Rozanne® for Bressingham Gardens®. The rivers are designed to flow through a garden attracting pollinators with fragrant foliage, and cool colors that thrive in the summer heat.

Geranium Black n’ White is a delicate pure white flower that stands out against dark foliage that can appear deep green, purple, or nearly black.

With silver veined flowers, ‘Black n’ White’ is lovely for front borders, cottage gardens, woodlands, and can also be grown in tubs with care. The foliage is fragrant and will attract bees.

Bring in the pinks with Geranium ‘Blushing Turtle’, ‘Hexham Velvet’, and Rothbury Gem (‘Gerfos’)

There are cottage garden flowers like Echinacea ‘Lovely Lolly’, Heuchera Summer Haze in White, Light Pink, or Dark Pink, or Heuchera ‘Steel City’.

Anemone
Pretty Lady Series

Looking to add some beauty and charm to your garden?
Anemone plants are also called windflowers because of the way the blooms appear to be opened by the wind.
The Anemone are known as versatile for front borders and containers too! Butterflies and bees love these pretty ladies, and they are deer-resistant. Thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 5, this plant blooms in autumn with an upright habit. Make sure to plant anemone in full sun or part shade for optimal growth.

Anemone ‘Pretty Lady Emily’
Anemone ‘Pretty Lady Diana’
Anemone ‘Pretty Lady Susan’
Anemone ‘Pretty Lady Julia’
Anemone ‘Pretty Lady Maria’

The Pretty Lady Anemone series are all sun-loving flowers with 2 inch (5cm) blooms with either single or double flowers formed in autumn. The are very floriferous! Habits are compact, unlike other hupehensis selections.

Campanula

The Campanula poscharskyana Blue Waterfall (‘Camgood’) has a low-growing, spreading, and trailing habit. Blue Waterfall flowers in the summer and autumn. It makes a lovely front border, ground cover, rock garden or container plant. These cascading blooms are long-blooming, and also drought tolerant.

Heuchera Summer Haze
This beautiful plant is a must-have in any garden. Heuchera, also called coral bells, is grown more for its gorgeous, frilly foliage that comes in shades ranging from deep burgundy to deep forest green. The flower wands appear in mid-summer in white and pink colors. It’s also not particularly tasty to deer or bunnies and tolerates both sun and shade.

Eryngium zabellii ‘Big Blue’ is an attention grabber at first glance with striking out of this world-blue color. This versatile plant is perfect for use in middle borders, as cut flowers, or as a specimen for dried arrangements.
This perennial is a favorite in the garden because of it’s unique color and it is attractive to bees and butterflies.

Hellebores or Lenten Rose

The Rockies Helleborus

These stunning shade lovers appear in late winter or early spring (around the time of Lent) when snow still is on the ground. They have unique foliage that will extend interest to shade gardens well into the summer.

The Rockies Helleborus Series has the most interesting traits with foliage that is freckled, red, marbled, and toothy. Cottage gardens can include hellebore plants that add a clever touch.

‘Snowshoe Mountain’
New foliage emerges rose-tinged in the fall and early spring maturing to white and green speckled leaves. Bouquets of flowers emerge in early Spring along with a new flush of foliage. Rose blushed buds and flowers striped with green persist for weeks slowly fading to green. Uniquely colored and patterned foliage reminiscent of a snow storm adds extended interest to shade gardens into the summer.

‘Mt. Nebo’
New foliage emerges bright red in the fall and early spring maturing to pink, white and green speckled leaves. Bouquets of flowers emerge in early Spring along with a new flush of foliage. Rosy pink blushed buds and flowers persist for weeks slowly fading to chartreuse. Bright yellow reflexive anthers add to the unique flowers.

‘Pike’s Peak’
Silver-grey leaves with finely toothed margins emerge in spring along with bouquets of chartreuse flowers. Foliage is accented with attractive venation and a silver overlay.

‘Hollowtop Mountain’
In fall and early spring green foliage emerges with bright white mid veins and marbling. Flowers are singular and clear white early in the spring. As leaves mature they hold attractive marbling and develop bright red petioles.

Transform your garden space and include other elements that will help complete the design. Step into the enchanting world of a typical English garden, where stone or brick pathways wind through lush greenery and vibrant flowers. From towering trees, shrubs to colorful perennials, every corner offers a new delight for the senses. Take a moment to relax on a charming bench and soak in the beauty around you. Who knows, you might just discover your inner artist through endless photo opportunities!

Geranium Azure Rush®

Exploring the Compact Beauty of Geranium Azure Rush®

The more contained growth of Geranium Azure Rush® makes a desirable home and garden plant, displaying well in containers and front borders.

In the year 2000, Blooms of Bressingham introduced
Geranium Rozanne® (‘Gerwat’), a creation of the English couple, the Waterers, who crossed a European hardy geranium with an Asian one.

Fast forward to 2007, Blooms of Bressingham unveiled a superior variant, Geranium Azure Rush®. This sport, a genetic mutation, brought lighter flowers, a more compact growth, and less sprawling nature compared to its predecessor,
Rozanne®. The crowning glory of Azure Rush® lies in its vibrant violet-blue petals, distinguishing it as a spectacular evolution in the world of geraniums.

Beloved for their abundance of violet-blue flowers and low-maintenance nature, Geranium Azure Rush® and Geranium Rozanne® emerge as contenders, known for their stunning blooms and easy care, these plants are hardy in USDA zones 5-8.

Geranium Azure Rush®: A Touch of Elegance
Azure Rush® is a charming cultivar prized for its delicate lavender-blue flowers and compact, mounding growth habit. Its lush, aromatic foliage provides an excellent contrast to the azure blooms, creating a visually pleasing display in borders, containers, and rock gardens. ‘Azure Rush’ is a mutation of ‘Rozanne’ from the Waterers, discovered at Jeddeloh Nursery in Germany.

Geranium Rozanne® (‘Gerwat’) is a garden-worthy hardy Geranium, recognized as the PPA Perennial Plant of the Year, RHS Plant of the Centenary, and received the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Geranium Rozanne® is a testament that excellent garden plants can emerge from anywhere and become a garden staple. Launched at the 2000 Chelsea Flower Show with our support, it won numerous awards and remains an industry favorite.

Geranium Azure Rush® gets noticed for its compact growth habit and striking azure-blue flowers. This variety stands out for its ability to thrive in a range of conditions while maintaining a neat, tidy appearance. Its compact nature makes it an ideal choice for smaller gardens, containers, or edging along pathways.

One of the defining features of Geranium Azure Rush® is its controlled growth, which typically reaches heights of around 18-20 inches (46-51 cm). This compact size not only lends itself well to confined spaces but also makes it easier to manage and maintain compared to larger geranium varieties.

In contrast, Geranium Rozanne® has long been celebrated for its prolific flowering and vigorous growth habit. While not as compact as Geranium Azure Rush®, Geranium Rozanne® reaches with a height of 20”-24” (48-53 cm) and a sprawling width.

The difference is in the spread of the plants, Rozanne will spread up to 100cm”

-Paul Gooderham – General Manager for Must Have Perennials®

The robust efforts of Blooms of Bressingham, now Must Have Perennials® have brought Azure Rush® and other hardy perennials in the exhibit to the attention of the horticulture industry around the world.

Additionally, deer, rabbits and their predacious four-legged allies generally avoid them. The plants are easy to care for, though deadheading may increase flower production. Generally, ‘Azure Rush’ will flower on and off throughout the growing season.

The trends in marketing our perennials include appealing to consumers who want plants that grow well in shaded gardens as well as containers. The more compact nature of Azure Rush makes it a winner for our program.

We delight in the response of growers that want to include Azure Rush® in their program.”

-Justin Wisniewski, Product Manager for Aris Horticulture®

Azure Rush® adds enduring color from spring until frost. These geraniums are resilient and adapt to diverse growing conditions, an easy choice for gardeners looking to nurture a pollinator garden.

One of the standout features of Geranium Azure Rush® is its exceptional heat and drought tolerance, making it well-suited for gardeners in warmer climates. Additionally, this cultivar thrives in well-drained soil and partial shade, although it can adapt to a variety of growing conditions with proper care.

Geranium Azure Rush® is known for its prolonged flowering period, often extending from late spring to early fall. This extended bloom time ensures exceptional versatility and adaptability to various growing conditions. Whether planted in sun or partial shade, in borders, rock gardens, or containers, this resilient cultivar thrives with minimal maintenance.

Geranium Azure Rush®, a geranium with deeply dissected leaves, lightly scented foliage, and the bright blue, yet pale purple five-petaled flowers. Each petal is about two inches wide and features a white or palest blue central “eye”. The petals are also strikingly veined in deep purple.As trends are leaning towards growing millions of units per year and as we approach the summer of 2024, Geranium Azure Rush® is an inspiration to the industry.

Azure Rush® | Geranium of our Dreams!

Approx. Height 18-20”/46-51cm
Approx. Spread 24-28”/61-71cm
USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8
RHS Hardiness Rating -28°C/-20°F
Blooming Time Summer, Autumn
Habit Mounded
Light Sun, Part Shade

Rozanne® (‘Gerwat’) | Geranium of the Millennium

Approx. Height 20-24”/48-53 cm
Approx. Spread 26-30”/63-74cm
USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8
RHS Hardiness Rating -28°C/-20°F
Blooming Time Summer, Autumn
Habit Mounded
Light Sun, Part Shade