Helleborus orientalis

Description:

Hellebores make a valuable addition to the garden providing much need colour at the end of winter and early spring. The saucer shaped flowers combine beautifully with spring bulbs and early flowering perennials such as Pulmonaria. The leathery foliage is evergreen and unremarkable for the rest of the year, hiding under and around perennials and shrubs. Available in a pick and mix of colours and patterns, the apparent petals are actually bracts (a modified leaf) which last much longer than flower petals, perfect for coping with harsh winter weather. They will hybridise and self seed around if left to go to seed, every new flower a lucky dip!

Aftercare: Prune out old leaves of in late winter or early spring to ensure the flowers can be seen, which also helps to control hellebore leaf spot disease.  Apply an annual mulch of humus in July/August (when next year's flower buds are being formed) and again in late December. Avoid mulching the crown of the plant as this can rot developing buds. Water during hot dry spells.

Height & Spread:

0.45m x 0.45m

Flowering colour:

Variations of white, pink, green, primrose, mauve, smoky purple

Soil Moisture Requirements:

Moist and well drained

Resistance to Pests and Diseases:

May be susceptible to hellebore aphid, hellebore leaf miner and snails,  hellebore black death, hellebore leaf spot, downy mildews, grey moulds (botrytis), smuts.

Flowering Period:

February - April

Soil PH:

Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
(Any)

Soil Type:

Deciduous:

Maintenance:

Scented:

Wildlife Friendly:

Plant Aspect: