Helles belles
preferred soil is rich, moisture retentive and fertile, and one that neither gets too dry nor waterlogged. Improve your soil if necessary with the addition of compost or well-rotted manure to provide a rich planting hole. Somewhere near the house is a good spot so you can admire them without venturing out into the cold. Alternatively plant up containers and pots using a rich loam-based compost.
I grow them beneath my birch trees and they mix well in the spring garden with fellow early flowerers such as snowdrops, primula and woodland anemone, as well as other shade lovers such as ferns and hostas.
Maintenance is usually confined to this time of year when I remove some of the older leathery foliage which is going off and could harbour diseases. I also want the upcoming flowers to be more visible. All parts are poisonous, so wear gloves when handling hellebores as the sap can be a skin irritant.
Over the next few months is the best time to go shopping for them while they are in flower so you can choose the colour and size that appeals most. Many of the hybrids are derived from Helleborus orientalis and there is now a good choice of flower colours from cream to dusky purple, blush apricots and pinks, green and white, as well as rich reds and maroons. ‘Harvington Shades of the Night’ is a beauty with dark purple-black flowers and I also like the pristine white of Helleborus niger.
There are more elaborate varieties with fuller frillier flowers such as ‘Double Ellen Picotee’ which has ruffled flowers spotted and edged in pink. For something quite different, look out for ‘Golden Lotus’ a gorgeous double variety with yellow petals, also edged in pink.
This winter treasure is also a valuable source of nectar and pollen, so by planting a hellebore you’ll be giving nature a helping hand as well.
They bloom at a time when other flowers are few and far between