Christmas Rose Location: The Perfect Place To Plant
Christmas roses bloom when everything else rests under a layer of snow. We give tips for the perfect location for your Christmas roses in the garden. The Christmas rose ( Helleborus niger ), also known as black hellebore, is one of the most robust garden plants. The Austrian name “snow rose” indicates that this plant can cope very well even with difficult conditions.
This is unusual because the Christmas rose originally comes from Southeast Asia. Today, however, it is widespread in the German-speaking region as well as in Slovenia, Croatia, and northern Italy, where it inhabits bushy, light forests. You can easily imitate these natural site conditions in your own garden so that your Christmas rose thrives and it lacks nothing. What you should consider when choosing a location for your Christmas rose and the best way to go about planting are explained below.
The perfect location for Christmas roses
Basically, your Christmas rose must have enough space in the garden so that it can develop undisturbed. Because when they feel good, Christmas roses like to spread out into large groups of plants. Partly to shady locations with nutrient-rich, permeable humus soil are ideal for Christmas roses. They also prefer calcareous soils. If the pH value is too low, it can happen that the flower does not flower.
Sheltered places in partial shade under trees are ideal. In this way, the plant can enjoy the gentle rays of the winter sun in the cold winter months, but in summer it is protected from excessive heat. Make sure that the soil does not dry out and water regularly even in winter. Waterlogging is to be avoided at all costs. If the conditions are right, Christmas roses are extremely long-lived and can reach an age of up to 30 years.
If you have been given a Christmas rose as a potted plant and would like to cultivate it indoors, it is best to place it in a light spot on the windowsill. However, the optimal average temperature should not be above 15 ° C, because the Christmas rose usually does not feel comfortable in a heated living room. After the flowering period, you can move the potted plant to a shady spot in the garden.
How to plant Christmas roses
Once you have chosen the right location for your Christmas rose, you should put the newly purchased plant in its destination as soon as possible. The best time to plant Christmas roses in the bed is in autumn from September to November. Alternatively, it can also be planted after flowering in late spring (April / May). We have prepared step-by-step instructions for you with the most important points below:
- Dip the root ball in a bucket of water
- Dig twice as large a planting hole
- Loosen the soil and enrich it with ripe compost
- Plant the Christmas rose to the root neck
- Lightly press the earth down with your hands
- Water well so that the earth can settle
- Apply a layer of mulch from compost or leaves
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