Helleborus

A friendly face in a crowd of strangers, a dry match in a downpour or a cold beer in the desert – experiencing something unexpected makes everyone feel great. There is a powerful, prosperous sensation from the contradiction that, quite simply, tells you everything is going to be all right. So it is with the feeling that flowers in winter give us – for this we absolutely must have them.

Any plants that flower now deserve extra attention but the hellebore is a special case even among this select group. Perky, plucky and stylish, they would stand out at any time of year. Go and see them flowering now in your local garden centre, but to enjoy them in context, to understand the kind of impact they can have given free reign, Google hellebore and find a garden near you where they been allowed to naturalise. RHS sites, National Trust or gardens open to the public are all worth checking to see if they can give you that experience of drifts of hellebores under a canopy of trees.

Once you’ve enjoyed them in all their glory, you’ll be hooked. But remember, you don’t need ten acres of woodland to get the stress-busting, feel-good benefits of flowers in January. The smaller species are ideal in rock gardens or containers and they’re a great way of bringing colour and life to areas under trees. Your garden centre should be able to offer you a selection that are flowering now, so go and browse and see what you like.

We’ll help with some pointers for these exciting perennial plants: Helleborus x ballardiae ‘December Dawn’ flowers from mid-winter to early spring. Blooms are beautiful, white, flushed pink inside. Helleborus cyclophyllus produces intriguing, yellowish green flowers which look wonderfully out of the ordinary. Helleborus x hybridus ‘Peggy Ballard’ is a true star. Flowers a deep reddish pink, with veined, purple-pink on the inside. The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger is the classic hellebore. It bears white flowers which are in some cases strongly pink-flushed with greenish-white centres. ‘Potter’s Wheel’ is an especially lovely variety, bearing pure white flowers with delicate green ‘eyes’.

Moist, fertile, soil with a good crumbly structure is perfect (dig in plenty of compost if necessary). Exact requirements vary depending on species and situation –check when you buy. Dry or waterlogged soils must be avoided and shelter plants from strong or cold winds. Hellebores are easy to maintain – simply apply a leaf mould or organic mulch in autumn.

Gilbert White, observing nature around his eighteenth century parish of Selbourne, Hampshire, noted that mothers in the district made a cure for intestinal worms from the leaves of hellebores. Even then, this was seen as a ‘violent remedy’ and the advice today is to avoid ingesting part of the plant. But perhaps there was a germ of truth in the thought that hellebores could have curative properties. Appreciate their beauty in any way you can this winter and see for yourself.