Hellebores for the woodland garden
Feast your eyes on these gorgeous hellebores growing happily in a couple of gardens I’ve worked on this week.....
Nelson garden, photo by LC
Photo by LC
Photo by LC
Blooming early, at a time when flowers are scarce, hellebores breathe life into the spring garden. Plant them in part to full shade, with rich, moist soil and good drainage. A woodland environment is a great place for hellebores, and provides a pretty backdrop too. I’ve also seen them thrive in a sunny spring garden, carefully placed so that they’re shaded once the trees leaf out – protected from the hot summer sun.
Photo by LC
Hellebores are wonderfully easy to grow. If you get them off to a good start, they will come back year after year to greet you in early spring. They are deer and vole resistant (a huge plus if you're putting them in the woods, like me) and are super long-lived. I've read that some hybrids live 100 years or more! The most work you will need to do is to trim off any old and damaged leaves in early spring, so they don't detract from the blossoms. Hellebores also benefit from a side-dressing of compost for added nutrients before they flower.
Barry Glick (The Hellebore King) grows 6 acres of hellebores at his Sunshine Farm and Garden in West Virginia. You can browse his varieties and order directly from his website. Take a look at his hellebore-laden hillsides here. Just beautiful!
I have big plans for adding woodland plants to the garden.. and when the time comes, I can't wait to order a few of Barry's gorgeous hellebores.