Family Ranunculaceae
Helleborus — Hellebore — is a genus of fifteen or so evergreen and deciduous perennials native to woodland, scrub, and rocky hillsides across Europe and western Asia, with one species extending to...
Family Ranunculaceae
Helleborus — Hellebore — is a genus of fifteen or so evergreen and deciduous perennials native to woodland, scrub, and rocky hillsides across Europe and western Asia, with one species extending to western China. Flowers are nodding, typically saucer- or cup-shaped, with five petal-like sepals that persist long after the true petals have fallen — giving the blooms an exceptional longevity in the garden. Colours range from white, cream, and soft pink through dusky rose, deep plum, and near-black, with many forms spotted or veined within. Modern cultivars extend the flowering season from autumn through to spring.
The deeply divided, leathery foliage is handsome in its own right and provides year-round structure. Hellebores grow well in a range of soils including heavy clay, and are long-lived once established — many species and cultivars performing well in the shade of trees and shrubs, making them valuable plants for some of the less sunny parts of the garden.
Well suited to woodland gardens, shaded borders, and planting beneath trees and shrubs, they associate well with Epimedium, Pulmonaria, Galanthus, and spring-flowering Narcissus.
