Hellebores

Hellebores are a group of plants usually grown in ‘woodland’ conditions in the UK, flowering from late winter through to mid-spring. The flowers are white, cream, pink, purple, or green, sometimes spotted, and are pendant or outward facing, saucer to cup shaped or tubular bells shaped! New varieties are becoming available such as Anna’s Red and Penny’s Pink, bred by Rodney Davey, with marbled foliage and intense colours on large blooms. Helleborus niger, the Christmas Rose, flowers pure white; Helleborus x hybridus are perennial hybrids with H. orientialis and other species with a wide colour range; Helleborus argutifolius, the Corsican hellebore, has spiny-toothed leaves and pendant bowl shaped pale green flowers, plants growing up to 4′ by 3′ – quite a feature in a warmer, sheltered garden. Surely one for every garden… There is guaranteed to be an excellent selection on show at the RHS London Plant & Design Show on 19th/20th February.