Hellebores

Glorious weather for most of the day. The rain hits tonight with potential for hail etc. Mr B gave the lawn the first cut of the year (the lawnmower started without too much coaxing!). I started the shifting of the recycled compost - which arrived during the week - to the beds I have completed removal of the aforementioned buttercup. As this compost is very dark in colour it provides a great foil to the emerging foliage. The way that it is produced means that it is quite sterile - great as a soil structure improver or mulch - so I have added a pelleted chicken manure to the beds prior to applying the mulch.



I have a number of Hellebores in the garden:

- 2 clumps of a purple flowering type of Hellebore Orientalis (although I do like the naming of this type to Hellebore Hybridus as given here) shown in bud in an earlier post. One clump by the pond and the other under the Silver Birch at the front of the house.

- White flowering Hellebore Orientalis which grows under the Silver Birch as well. The common name for this type of Hellebore is 'Lenten Rose' so, as you would expect from the name, they are both just coming into flower. Both the purple and the white variants had their old leaves cut back at the start of February. This, in theory, stops black spot but, more importantly, also shows off the buds and emerging stems.

- Hellebore foetidus. The photo above was taken a couple of weeks ago so the purple edging to the flowers haden't formed. It grows under the Silver Birch. Before you think that I only have Hellebores under the Silver Birch, they are surrounded by Spurge and Daffodils in the spring followed by hardy geraniums and ferns for the rest of the year. Hellebore foetidus self seeds with abandon, but amidst the tree roots this is somewhat tempered. No cutting back of leaves for this variety - just keeping the seedlings in check.

- Hellebore Sternii (above) which loves full sun, unlike most other Hellebores. I thought I had purchased a H. x sternii 'Blackthorn Group' but ended up with the taller variety. It is on the other side of the pond from the purple Hellebore Orientalis and is over 2 feet in height. The aim of the small planting pocket it is in was to have H. x sternii 'Blackthorn Group' with an underplanting of a winter flowering heather. 'Underplanting' has taken on the full meaning of the word as the Erica carnea 'Ann Sparkes' (tolerates my neutral-alkaline soil) is dwarfed by the H. Sternii but still complements the pink-purple stems of the Hellebore whilst glowing in its own right.

Erica carnea 'Ann Sparkes'

Whatever variant of H Sternii my speciman is, it makes a bold statement. Cutting back the stems that have flowered reveals the pink-purple new stems and leaves. I have been sorely tempted to move it and find a true Blackthorn Group variety to put in its place but have never quite worked out the ideal spot for it and have also just found out that they do not like being disturbed. Not that this has bothered me before but....