Of all the forms of Helleborus orientalis (syn H x hybridus) the white form is my favorite. Unlike the squat Christmas Rose - Helleborus niger - it bears its flowers aloft on tall elegant stems safely out of reach of the soil which is so often splashed by rain onto the flowers of H niger. The pure white flowers of H orientalis are beautifully cup shaped - the flowers of H niger are rather flat.
H orientalis is dead easy to grow and will thrive in the poorest driest soil. H niger is much more fussy and will only succeed in a good loam or clay based soil.