From Winter Blooms to Evergreen Foliage: Celebrating the Enduring Allure of Hellebores

HELLEBORE (Helleborus spp.)

This week I’d like to spend a brief moment highlighting one of my favorite plants (especially this time of year)... Hellebores! Many of you likely already have some in your garden, they are certainly no stranger to our planting plans here at Wisteria & Rose. They’re having a great year this year!

The primary season of interest for Hellebores is just about coming to a close now, so I figured I’d get in a shout-out before it’s too late, although I love this plant all year long. A perennial with true four season interest, I think a hellebore is a great and useful addition to basically any garden. They prefer a bit of shade but aren’t too picky (I’d avoid putting them in true full sunny spots).

Their familiar flowers typically pop up in late February/early March (depending on the variety) in this area depending on the weather. The flowers can last sometimes as far as mid to late May, and stand up nice and straight on tall, strong stems, providing a wonderful accent in the early spring garden.

Pair them with some yellow/white daffodils and some shiny leafed, bright blue flowering Brunnera and you’ve got a wonderful spring vignette for a small, shady corner.

There are innumerable varieties of Hellebore, with all different shades of color and types of flowers. My preference is for something in the “antiqued” pink and white family, and I love any kind of double-flowering or ruffled flower variety as well. The dark green, glossy foliage provides a great backdrop for the rest of the growing season, and they remain up and green throughout the winter as well, giving us that much sought after “winter interest”. Another ‘garden workhorse’ that gives you value all year long.