Stinking hellebores

Helleborus foetidus is known as the stinking hellebore because the leaves give off an unpleasant smell when crushed; the way to avoid this is not to crush the leaves! It is one of Britain’s few native hellebores. Pale-green bracts are produced in winter and spring, and these are a feature in themselves. Then the same-coloured flowers open, somewhat cylindrical at first, flaring outwards as they age.