The appeal of hellebores for the winter garden is manifold. They’re hardy plants, mostly evergreen, fairly drought-tolerant, and, just when the winter garden is at its most muted, they appear offering blooms in a wonderful array of patterns and shapes, from striped, stippled and picotee to singles and doubles in deep, solid colours.
Belonging to the Ranunculaceae family, hellebores are cousins of buttercups, anemones, aquilegia and clematis. With such attractive relatives, it’s no surprise that they have become such a classic winter plant. Hellebores originate from Europe, Asia and the Balkan states. There are around 20 species, but most fall into one of two groups: the caulescent or stemmed species, with clusters of stems that grow above ground level from upright, woody shoots; and acaulescent or stemless species, which grow…
