Blooming Times

Stuck for a last-minute gift for a gardening friend? A potted hellebore or sarcococca, nicely presented in a terracotta pot is sure to find favour, says Flo Whitaker

Boxing Clever

Hellebore flowers come in endless shades of cream and white, pink and purple or green-ish tones. Annoyingly, they seldom flower in time for Christmas, despite their common name of ‘Christmas Rose.’ Helleborus niger is the dainty, pure white flower that adorns our Christmas cards. Sadly, it’s not for the novice grower as it’s fussy about drainage and is prone to rotting off, particularly in heavy clay. Hellebore fanciers, (yes, they do exist – I’ve met a few) grow them in pots of gritty compost in unheated greenhouses to protect the blooms from rain and wind damage. Better suited for the average border are varieties of Helleborus orientalis; often sold as ‘Orientals’. These robust characters cross-pollinate like mad and produce a wide assortment of flower types and colours. Orientals are the sort of plant you want to buy in bloom so you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Given moist, humus-rich soil in light shade, hellebores will persist for donkey’s years. If happy, they’ll self-seed – it’s fun to grow the little plantlets to maturity and see what types of flowers they produce. Leaf spot, (a fungal disease similar to rose blackspot), can trouble them and is best treated by the removal of old or damaged leaves in autumn – reducing the risk of lingering disease spores infecting new foliage in spring.

Unlike hellebores, you can almost set your watch by sarcococca, which reliably lives up to its common name of ‘Christmas Box’. It’s a modestsized family of plants, with about a dozen varieties to choose from. Some varieties are mostly confined to specialist plant fairs and nurseries, but a few types can easily be found in any well-stocked garden centre.

Sarcococca confusa produces tiny sweet-scented white flowers and makes a dense, multi-stemmed shrub 1 - 2 metres high. The neat, glossy foliage appears similar to buxus, (box), making it suitable for hedging purposes, although it has a less formal habit than buxus. Don’t attempt to “clip it into shape” as you’ll probably remove the developing flowering shoots - learn to live with its more relaxed style.

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis has a horrid name but bears highly scented white flowers with pink-tinged tips. It takes its time to attain 60cms in height, so is perfect for growing under trees, tall shrubs or in containers.

Planted now, (so long as the ground isn’t frozen) hellebores and sarcococcas will add instant interest to the winter garden and provide nectar-rich flowers for wildlife. Sarcococcas must also be contenders for the title of world’s most undemanding plants. Long-lived; they prefer semi-shade, cope with dry soil and require no feeding or pruning. Slugs and snails hate them. Deer and rabbits ignore them as they pass by, enroute to eat your favourite roses. Ah, well… you can’t have everything. l

Helleborus niger is the dainty, pure white flower that adorns our Christmas cards