Those Amazing Hellebores

» Carol Wallace - My favorite plant

I think hellebores are absolutely addictive! I am growing several - foetidus, orientalis, niger, atrorubens,argutifolius and another whose name I've forgotten, and a lot of the hybridus. It may be my all time favorite plant! There are three kinds I would still kill to have - the variegated one with silver in the leaves, a yellow, and I believe there is now one in a dark blue!

-- posted by Carol Wallace

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» ______MarcellaGM - Dark blue Hellebores?

Carol, I don't believe I've heard of a dark blue Hellebores. Are you refering to the flowers? I do have a H. foetidas with a blue cast to the leaves. The Hellebores hybrid I am lusting over is has real pink or chalky pink flowers with no green in the petals.

Herronswood catalog overs Hellebores argutifolius 'Pacific Frost.' Dan Hinkley, claims it is more vigorous than 'Janet Starnes.' It has green leaves marbled creamy white.

-- posted by ______MarcellaGM

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» Carol Wallace - All I know is

the very first garden writing I ever did was for a guy who paid me in plants. He said he had a blue hellebore - very small, not at flowering size - but that one was earmarked for me. Unfortunately, he quit publishing.

I planted the argutifolius this year - am not sure they're really hardy here. But if they make it throughthe winter I'm definitely going to try the one from Heronswood.

-- posted by Carol Wallace

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» ______MarcellaGM - Heronswood

Carol, I visited Heronswood a couple of years ago and went nuts when I saw all of the Hellebores growing in their woodland garden. I had never seen so many varieties. I also have had the opportunity to visit the famous 'Platt' garden in Portland, Oregon, a private garden made by an exceptional plantswoman. There, I saw my first black Hellebores in bloom. I swear the flowers were the color of Black Mondo Grass.

I wish you luck with H. argutifolius. My grows bigger and better with each passing year and has produced many new seedlings so I should never be without it.

-- posted by ______MarcellaGM

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» Jojo - The Glickster's Hellebores

Those blue Hellebores aren't really BLUE-blue, but they're pretty close.

Follow This Link to Sunshine Farm and Garden's Helleborus Breeding Program notes. There is a link there to some really nice pictures. It says they're not retouched - and the colours and shapes are pretty amazing... Can you belelive it?

-- posted by Jojo

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» Carol Wallace - I have some of those!

Mary Lou of Daffodils and I ordered a flat of Barry's hellebores from his breeding program about two years ago, I am expecting to finally get to see the flowers this spring. I can't wait!

-- posted by Carol Wallace

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» Gay_Klok - Barry

Barry Glick was the first person to contact me when I first started netting. He sent me a whole lot of info by snail mail. After looking at the photos, I see I must take more notice of each plant's flower. I do have a very deep plum-red but certainly not so blue as the "slate" one.

The double I grow, I don't always like the new doubles of plants, was created in a Tasmanian garden. It took me 3 years to get her to give me a plant. It is white and green. It is doing OK so I must take a photo this Winter. I am not sure if it has thrown any seedlings, there are some there but I have other Christmas roses too close to it

-- posted by Gay_Klok

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» ______MarcellaGM - Hellebores season

Hellebores season hits its stride in Feb., here in the PNW. The specialty nurseries are already announcing open gardens to see them in bloom.

I have a number of new Hellebores in my garden I will see in flower for the first time. I also moved some Hellebores in the early fall, when I was so sore I could hardly move. We gardeners will crawl out to the garden to rescue a plant. The poor things were in a very dry pocket of the garden and had not bloomed for a couple of years. I am amazed now to see dozens of what look like flower buds pushing up from the soil. Hellebores can sure take a beating and still spring back when treated properly.

-- posted by ______MarcellaGM

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