Helleborus odorus greets early spring with sweetly scented chartreuse flowers. Attractive foliage emerges after flowers fade and persists through winter.
Flowers emerge in late winter or early spring, before the new leaves.
They are borne in loose clusters of three or four on leafy stems that are up to 20 inches tall. After pollination, the sepals fade to pale green and last until the seeds are ripe. In early summer, sow fresh seeds as soon as they ripen and cover them lightly. Germination occurs in autumn after a few weeks of cool, moist stratification. Seedlings bloom in two to three years.