Heavenly Hellebores: easy to grow

Helleborus x hybridus feature flowers in a wide range of colours, including the prettiest of rose pinks

Heavenly Hellebores

Plant this late-winter favourite for colourful flowers that will lift both spirits and borders. They are easy to grow and the choice is simply better than ever, says Graham Rice

EVEN in the mildest of winters, February is not the most floriferous month in the garden. Which is why hellebores, blooming reliably in such a huge range of colours and forms, have become must-have plants –perfect for adding just enough cheery brightness to take us through late winter and into spring. It all started with Helleborus orientalis . Native to Turkey and the Caucasus, in the wild, the humble lenten rose is pretty unremarkable, coming in white and pinkish tones, and white with spots –all often unevenly shaped and streaked in green. The first improvements came around 50 years ago, with the work of legendary hellebore breeder Helen Ballard, who produced plants with larger, more symmetrical flowers. In the decades that followed she, along with fellow enthusiasts including Elizabeth Strangman, took development forward in leaps and bounds – although, given that hellebores take two or three years to flower from seed, that’s perhaps not the most appropriate description to use. These were then crossed with other hellebore species to produce purples, reds and yellows –the plants we now know as H . x hybridus . All shapes and colours Today we have hellebores with flowers in shapes from bowls to stars, in every colour imaginable, including pretty picotees and veined forms, and even some in slate blue. Plus an increasing range of doubles and anemonecentred types. The constant stream of improvements has captured our imagination, and there’s often quite a scramble for the best plants when specialist nurseries open their doors. The one downside to hellebores is that propagation by division is so slow, something that has held back the availability of the best ones. Until relatively recently, good named forms tended to be scarce and expensive –a fact that, perversely, only increased our fascination with them. Of course, they can be raised from seed but, unless pollinated by hand, plants are unlikely to come true. Seed that falls around existing plants often germinates prolifically; however, the flowers on the resulting seedlings are rarely the same as those that feature on their parents. The best nurseries have refined the art of growing true-to-colour plants from seed by carefully handpollinating selected parent plants; these may be given cultivar names such as ‘White Lady’, or they may be listed To increase the vase life of hellebores, try ‘sealing’ the cut stems by plunging the ends into boiling water for 30 seconds before you arrange them.

The flowers are ideal for cutting and look lovely in a vase on their own or with early spring favourites like snowdrops Harvington Doubles are perhaps the best known double-flowered types, and come in white, cream, pink, lilac and more – all flecked with red

Ashwood Evolution Group hybrids are among the most bold and eye-catching

simply by their colour –the likes of Double Pink, for example. The RHS Plant Finder lists a great many (as does its website). While a few named forms propagated by division are occasionally available, it is becoming increasingly common to see named forms such as Walberton’s Rosemary propagated by tissue-culture –and more of these are on the way. Ultimately, you have two choices when purchasing hellebores: you can either buy plants by mail order from a supplier you trust, or visit a nursery in person and choose specimens in the flower colour you like. Once you have good plants, you can lift and divide them using the traditional back-to-back garden forks technique. September is a good time to do this, and all your new plants will be identical to their parent.

Sow your own You can also propagate by seed, which is best sown in summer, as soon as it’s ripe. Use a soil-based seed compost, keep the pots in the shade and protect them from mice and slugs. Seed should germinate by Christmas. Or simply dig up self-sown seedlings and plant them in a quiet part of the garden to grow on to flower, selecting the best to keep. Deciding what to plant with your hellebores is more tricky –if only because they are such excellent mixers. Dwarf bulbs have to top the list, though. Crocus, snowdrops, chionodoxas, scillas and early daffodils are ideal, as are Cyclamen

5 of the best hellebores

coum and Anemone nemorosa . Early perennials including pulmonarias, early primroses, epimediums, tiarellas and cardamines are also good neighbours. Or what about teaming them with shrubs? Rhododendrons and camellias are worth considering if your soil is limefree; or choose forsythias in softer shades, or Ribes sanguineumn varieties. On a smaller scale, evergreen daphnes including D. pontica and D. laureola enjoy limey soil and always flower early, while sarcococcas have the additional benefit of sweet scent. Alternatively, allow plants to grow into ever-increasing specimens, showing off their hundreds of glorious blooms for week after winter week. The ultimate pick-me-up on a gloomy day.

Yellow with gold nectaries Large, rounded, outward-facing flowers –in primrose yellow with a ring of golden nectaries –are held on strong stems. H: 10-12in (25-30cm).

Walberton’s Rosemary (‘Walhero’) AGM Impressively prolific and long-flowering, this hybrid between a lenten rose and a Christmas rose has star-shaped pink flowers. A breakthrough. H: 1ft (30cm).

‘White Lady Spotted’ The Lady Series is populated by single flowers in colours including white, yellow, dark red and metallic blue-black –some with petals spotted in red. H: 1ft (30cm).

Where to buy

For the best choice of colours and shapes, visit good garden centres around the country, or try these reputable mail order suppliers: Ashwood Nurseries ashwoodnurseries.com 01384 401996 Binny Plants binnyplants.com 01506 858931 Farmyard Nurseries farmyard nurseries.co.uk 01559 363389 Harvington Hellebores twelve nunns.co.uk 01778 590455 Hillview Hardy Plants hillviewhardyplants.com 01746 716454

Why not plant with…

Hellebores and early spring-flowering bulbs like dwarf narcissus and crocuses make a classic combination Team pink or white hellebores with pulmonarias, which also flower early

Planting and care

Planting Choose a bright area in light shade or a spot that’s shaded for part of the day. Prepare a hole that’s bigger than you think you need, and add plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure –this will help retain moisture as hellebores don’t like dry soil. Feeding Sprinkle blood, fish and bone around plants after they’ve finished flowering in spring, and again in autumn – hellebores are hungry feeders. Division Allow plants to mature into large clumps; don’t split and replant as regularly as you might with other perennials. When dividing, do so in September. Cutting back Remove all the old foliage in November –this will prevent disease from overwintering. Deadhead after flowering if you don’t want seedlings popping up everywhere.