ANY plant that braves the chill of winter is prized by gardeners, but for sheer flower power and striking beauty hellebores are a garden must-have. These elegant perennials, including understated species and flamboyant hybrids, flower for months on end as the garden emerges from the depths of winter into the first warming rays of spring.
Most hellebore species are native to Europe, with two – Helleborus foetidus and H. viridis – growing wild in Britain. They typically grow on the edge of woodland in dappled shade, thriving in rich, moist, well-drained soil, so they’re ideally suited in the garden under deciduous trees and shrubs.
Different flower forms and colours
Hellebores hybridise easily, which has resulted in an array of plants with different flower forms, colours and patterns.
