I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~ Ruth Stout
Most gardeners have their favorites–their personal arbiters, if you will–of the official beginning of spring and eagerly await that first sighting. Some gardeners might anticipate a bright, white snowdrop (Galanthus); others might count on glory of the snow (Chionodoxa) or perhaps even the ubiquitous crocus (Crocus). In my garden, the first flowers to appear are the exquisite blossoms of hellebores.
What are hellebores? Hellebores are a genus of herbaceous plants native to Europe and Asia and are members of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Two well-known species are Christmas rose (H. niger) and Lenten rose (H. orientalis) and are so named due to their bloom time.
Proper pronunciation is hel-LEB-or-us.
The genus is a real mix–some evergreen, some not, some acaulescent (without stems), some caulescent (with stems)–and breeders have fiddled around so much that nomenclature can be confusing. Most plants offered for sale today by nurseries are crosses of H. x hybridus, although the hardiest cultivars are out of H. niger.
A good resource with an excellent selection is Tony Avent's Plant Delights Nursery out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Of the 17 cultivars in his 2010 Spring Catalog, nine are rated to Zone 4 and three are rated to Zone 3. Hellebores are pricier than other perennials due to propagation difficulties and length of time from seed to market.
Hellebores grow to 12 - 15" in height and spread to about 2'. In late winter/early spring, flower stalks emerge. Most hellebores naturally have nodding, bell-shaped flowers which I think a most charming characteristic. But again, hybridizers have been doodling and, according to Tony Avent, some are "opting for cupped flowers, while others work toward breeding large, flat open flowers. Some breeders prefer up-facing flowers, while others prefer the natural bell-like form…" Colors include pink, white, lavender, purple, and even one yellow. Some blossoms are marked with darling freckles and speckles.
Hellebores have been used in gardens for many centuries but not, as they are today, for their flowers and sturdy foliage. All plant parts are poisonous due to the presence of alkaloid toxins. According to Vita Sackville-West, an English gardener with a straightforward writing style and dry wit, wrote of an herbalist in 1597 who said "a purgation of hellebore was 'good for mad and furious men.' Sackville-West added: "Such a decoction might still come in useful today."
How to grow hellebores. Despite rumors to the contrary, hellebores are easy to grow. Their native soil is rich, moist, alkaline and fairly heavy but the plants are tolerant of drought and can adapt to acidic soil. Avoid poorly drained soil. In our country, they prefer a woodland setting with light shade and some protection from wind. Top dress annually with compost and/or well-aged manure.
Hellebores are resistant to deer but not rabbits. My own planting of hellebores wasn't in the ground more than one week before a fat bunny discovered it.
How to design with hellebores. Plant hellebores either singly or in groups of three or more. Different species and cultivars can be easily mixed as the generally soft colors of the blossoms blend beautifully with each other.
The ideal setting for hellebores is in a bed with spring flowering bulbs. (Amazing how nature knows best.) Not only is the sturdy, glossy foliage a nice contrast to the usually strappy foliage of bulbs, but the watercolor-y colors of bulb flowers are excellent complements. Choose flowers in apricot, lavender, rose, white, cream and green. Stay away from intense yellows and golds of some daffodils and tulips.
Finally… Here's one last piece of advice from Vita Sackville-West: "Once planted, leave them alone. They will grow in strength from year to year. I have a plant in my garden which to my certain knowledge has been there for fifty years."
Photo above is H. 'Blue Lady'.
This also appeared in the Askov American, Askov, Minnesota.
