WHERE TO BUY HELLEBORES
The dainty yellow flowers of ‘Harvington Single Yellow Speckled’ look stunning in a border jostling with early spring bulbs
Ôruby Glow’ are perfect for containers and borders
AS the days shorten and Arctic winds blow in from the north, the garden falls into its annual slumber and the long wait for spring begins. But just as memories of summer have faded, fresh green shoots appear on hellebores, followed by exquisite flowers in jewel-like colours ranging from glittering whites and yellows to deep purples and reds.
Hellebores are used to create a continuous flower display from December to May. Owner of Ashwood Nurseries John Massey recommends the sparkling white Helleborus niger Ashwood Strain and one of the many H. x hybridus Ashwood Garden Hybrids for flowers before Christmas, with ‘Penny’s Pink’, sporting marbled, pink-flushed foliage, following on in February. Award-winning designer Rosemary Coldstream (rosemarycoldstream.com) advises planting Lenten roses (H. x hybridus) in a raised bed so that you can see their nodding flowers more clearly, and for pots, she suggests H.x ericsmithii ‘Ruby Glow’ with its pink upward-facing flowers.
‘In borders, I prefer the more naturalistic form of
H. x sternii, its pretty veined leaves contrasting with pinky-green flowers,’ she adds. Penny Dawson of Twelve Nunns nursery suggests her favourite ‘Harvington Single Smokey’ for borders. ‘Its subtle purple-blue colour is striking when teamed with white, lime or yellow flowers,’ she says.
Hellebores are ideal for semi-shade or plant the spiny-leaved Corsican hellebore (H. argutifolius) in sunnier sites. John Massey recommends a moist, well-drained soil with added leafy compost, especially for H. niger, while Penny Dawson says that feeding plants with seaweed fertiliser in autumn, February and April, when they are developing new leaves, will deliver the best results.
ASHWOOD NURSERIES
(Home of the Ashwood cultivars and John Massey’s garden, which is open to the public on selected days throughout the year)
01384 401996, ashwoodnurseries.com
TWELVE NUNNS
(Harvington Hellebore specialist nursery) 01778 590455, twelvenunns.co.uk
HAZLES CROSS FARM NURSERY
(Holders of the The National Collection of hellebores) 01538 752669, hazlescrossfarmnursery.co.uk