Hellebore-Anything but bore...ing

Just the name is a mouthful!  And, you might have gotten your mouth washed out with soap if you mentioned this one to your Mom many years ago, they were so unknown.  Hellebores have been a standard in the English landscape for much longer than in the American garden.  I think it stems from availability but that is no longer an excuse for not having a few.  One of my favorite Hellebores is the Bearsfoot or stinking hellebore, Helleborus foetidus. This is a plant with great foliage and interesting flowers.  The flowers appear in late winter to early spring with the welcome spring lime green color.  They sometimes need a trim in spring if it has been a particularly rough winter with temps plummeting after a warm day.  I have had them re-seed freely in the woodland setting. One added benefit of this species is that the deer do not bother them!  There are many hellebores to choose from with 18 to 20 species and multiple hybrids available and more hybrids coming into the marketplace every year.  Here are some different colors all within the new 'Royal Heritage' strain. The hellebore prefers a moist, shaded condition according to  Allan Armitage's  book 'Herbaceous Perennial Plants' but I have found that the foetidus species will grow well in dry shade.  There are several places to order them on line.  I received a gift certificate for Heronswood Nursery  and the plants arrived moments ago.  Included in the delivery were three Helleborus x hybridus 'Kingston Cardinal' , some Eryngium amethystinium 'Sapphire ', Crocosmia 'Coleton Fishacre' and Trycyrtis 'Tojen'-stay tuned on these.  The packing was excellent and the plants are looking good in spite of their travels.  Here they are and planting will commence tomorrow.   One other site that I enjoy visiting is Sunfarm's site.  They have some beautiful photos of mass planted hellebores and many for sale.  Hellebores are a bit pricier than other perennials.  They take more time to grow from seed to sale size.  I hope to add many more to the collection!  I hope you do too!