Plant Now: Hellebores

Planted your hellebores yet? The delicate heads of these hardy plants will brighten the dull winter days with their cloaks of rose, purple, maroon, yellow through to whites and greens. They’re frost-hardy, and grow in light shade, ideally under deciduous trees. They like a moist, humus-enriched soil, so dig in plenty of compost before planting. Hellebores are available from garden centres, but exciting new varieties may be best sourced from specialist nurseries. The hellebores above are from online nursery Clifton Homestead Nursery. The gorgeous arrangement, which features hellebores, akebia (banned here) and pulsatilla, is from the ever-talented folk at Saipua.