Christmas rose 'Jacob'
Helleborus niger 'HGC Jacob' · Ranunculaceae
Pure white, golden-centred flowers on short red stems over compact, dark green leaves. It flowers reliably by Christmas, often from November.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 14 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late November to late December
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around Christmas rose 'Jacob'
The planner designed this bed around Christmas rose 'Jacob' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why Christmas rose 'Jacob' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Christmas rose 'Jacob' × 4, white
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 5, tan
- 3 Blue wood aster × 5, lavender
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 White wood aster × 3, white
- 7 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only open bowls. The others are spires, daisies and plumes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 10 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 36% of the edge.
- 4 plants in 2 runs (3 and 1). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Bold leaf against fine. Moor grass 'Greenlee' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late November to late December.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 47 to 53, left to right. Blue wood aster and white wood aster, recognised partners, are side by side.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 2 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Christmas rose 'Jacob' goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The Christmas rose that lives up to the name. Plant it by a door or path, where the flowers will be seen in the worst weather of the year. It needs lime and good drainage.
- Flowers at Christmas
- Beside a door or path
- Winter containers
What to plant with Christmas rose 'Jacob'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Snowdrop: flowers first, early March to late March, so the spot is never empty; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lenten rose: flowers first, late March to early May, so the spot is never empty; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Sweet box: flowers first, early February to late March, so the spot is never empty; medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about Christmas rose 'Jacob'
Does Christmas rose 'Jacob' need sun or shade?
Christmas rose 'Jacob' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Christmas rose 'Jacob' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Christmas rose 'Jacob' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late November to late December. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 4 | Late November to late December |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late November to late December |
| Zone 6 | Late November to late December |
| Zone 7 | Late November to late December |
| Zone 8 | Late November to late December |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Christmas rose 'Jacob' be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 14 in (35 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Christmas rose 'Jacob' plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used four in two groups.
Is Christmas rose 'Jacob' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten. The sap can irritate skin and eyes.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Christmas rose 'Jacob'?
These come closest to doing what Christmas rose 'Jacob' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Coral bells 'Green Spice': the same job in a bed and the same size; grown for its leaves, not its flowers, not evergreen.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late April to late May, medium leaves, not bold.
- Wherry's foamflower: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early May to late June, medium leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Christmas rose 'Jacob'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does Christmas rose 'Jacob' look like in winter?
Christmas rose 'Jacob' keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter containers as well.
More Helleborus
- Christmas rose Helleborus niger
- Corsican hellebore Helleborus argutifolius
- Hellebore 'Ivory Prince' Helleborus 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince)
- Hellebore 'Pink Frost' Helleborus 'HGC Pink Frost'
- Lenten rose Helleborus x hybridus
- Stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: November
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 14 in (35 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late November to late December; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- alpine and open woodlands in central and southern Europe
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.