How do I care for my hellebores?
Q Last spring I planted some Christmas roses (Helleborus niger). I love them but have never grown them before. What should I do to get a wonderful display this winter?
A Provided you have looked after them – watering in dry spells and feeding monthly with a balanced fertiliser - these hardy heroes should thrive and delight you with their creamy-white blooms. Thereafter, monthly from April to September, feed them with sulphate of potash which is quickly leached from the soil. This fertiliser also boosts resistance to adverse conditions and disease.
Sprinkle it over the root area and water it in. Additionally, mulch plants with moisture-conserving well-rotted garden compost or composted manure available from garden centres.
In our opinion, the finest form of H. nigerSecond World War, he moved the plant to his home at Dallington, Sussex, where it excelled and produced very impressive niger-type white blooms.
