A GARDENER’S MISCELLANY

Fascinating facts, puzzles and prizes all about hellebores

We are at the start of the hellebore flowering season. From now until next summer, our gardens will be adorned with blooms from pure white through stages of pink and red, to purple and brown – with bright flecks, spots and even bright-green flowers in the mix. The helleborus genus comprises some 20 species of herbaceous or evergreen perennials. Let’s look at some of the stories surrounding them.

The scientific name helleborus derives from the ancient Greek: heleîn means ‘to injure’ and borá means ‘food’, alluding to the fact that many species of hellebore are poisonous.