Garden Centre

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Back to the winter - hellebores

I happened to be out in the garden today, and damned if three different hellebores aren’t in full bloom! Somehow, in the last few days, when I’ve been busy doing other things, the wonderful Christmas roses crept up on me.

I love hellebores, partly because they are happy to flower in the shade although they always do better in a sheltered position away from the effects of strong icy winds in winter and spring that can damage emerging blooms. In fact the leathery green leaves can often be flattened by frost, which has the advantage of revealing the downward-facing flowers, but does also leave them open to frost damage in severe weather. You can cut them for the house and stick them in a vase, which helps you see their golden stamens and the lovely interior colours of the blooms, but I always cut my short to the head and float them in a bowl of water – which really does show off their subtle glories and makes a dinner party centrepiece that convinces your guests you spent a fortune to please them!

There’s really only one downside - hellebores, like roses, can suffer from a variety of black spot that is at best unsightly and at worst fatal. Drenching the whole plant with a systemic fungicide once a month should help to prevent this, or if you’re organic, remove the worst-affected leaves and hope for the best.

Labels: flower arranging, hellebores, winter colour, winter flowers

The All Seasons Gardener at 9:16 AM

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