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Theo Janssen
Behind the Beauty:
Get to know the Breck’s family of growers and hybridizers.
Theo Janssen
Hellborus Breeder
For our friends at the van der Meijs nursery in Geldern, Germany, hellebore breeding is a passion—and the family business. Three generations of van der Meijs hybridizers had a hand in creating these remarkable king-size hellebores. But offering them to home gardeners is not what they originally had in mind. Back in the 1960s, their objective was different—to develop a bigger, taller hellebore for the cut-flower industry. They started with a Helleborus niger cultivar called 'Christmas Glory', and their breeding efforts eventually resulted in bigger, more floriferous plants. They could have stopped there, but we're so glad they didn't. The van der Meijs family took what they learned from their cut-flower hybrids, and shifted their focus to Helleborus orientalis, a favourite species of hellebore gardeners. And now Breck's is proud to present this line of king-size hellebores to American gardeners. Current breeding work is being done by Theo Janssen, who continues the legacy that Erik van der Meijs' grandfather started. The oldest plants in the van der Meijs nursery are over 40 years old and produce no less than 50 stems each! WOW! Hellebores are the result of over 50 years of careful breeding. Single and double blooms up to 4" across will stand tall and strong atop 24-28" stems. This makes them better for cut arrangements than traditional hellebores—just one more reason to love them! Each collection features king-size hellebores that look amazing in garden groupings, cute containers, or growing among your bleeding hearts, cyclamen and hostas.
Check Out Theo's Hellebores Below
LushGreen WOW!® Hellebore
It's our privilege to introduce the Lush Green Hellebore to gardeners throughout North America. One of the largest and most vigorous varieties of Helleborus ever to reach the market, its five-petaled blooms stretch an astonishing 4" across and are hued a bold lime green.
Great White Double Hellebore
Large, plush blooms have three petal layers. Pure white double flowers with small, lime-green eyes are striking. Leaves are glossy and medium to dark green.
Fresco WOW!® Hellebores
Cuplike flowers in complementary shades will grace your garden from late winter to mid spring. These larger, taller hellebores add simple elegance to shady borders, containers and cut arrangements. Intriguing double varieties have multiple layers of sepals—adding marvelous texture to an already sophisticated display.
Great White Hellebore
It's not often a plant cultivar comes along that redefines its entire genus. So, it's not surprising that "wow" is the first word we thought of to describe these incredible king-size hellebores. The result of over 50 years of careful breeding work, their height (up to 28") and flower size (up to 4" across) are unmatched by any other.
Searchlight Hellebore
It's not often a plant cultivar comes along that redefines its entire genus. So, it's not surprising that "wow" is the first word we thought of to describe these incredible king-size hellebores. The result of over 50 years of careful breeding work, their height (up to 28") and flower size (up to 4" across) are unmatched by any other.
Learn More About Hellebores
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