my photos
HELLEBORE
The hellebore, flowering above, is doing very well. It is planted in a north facing position, in semi-shade. When planting I incorporated lots of homegrown compost, but once established the hellebore will tolerate most soils.
The dark purple 'lenten rose' is a welcome addition, the only herbacious perennial, alongside spring bulbs, flowering at this time of year in my garden. Plant preferably on a bank at more or less eye level, as hellebore flowers do have a tendency to bow their heads.
Three or five cut hellebore stems do look beautiful in a vase, if you can bring yourself to take them from the garden.
The beautiful illustration above is taken from Culpeper's Complete Herbal with The British Florist 1812.
