The Hellebores Around My Farm
During this time, if you can get out and enjoy nature while safely following important social-distancing guidelines, do - going outside, even for just a little while, helps reduce stress and improves the body’s natural immune system.
I am fortunate to be able to take walks around my Bedford, New York farm and see many of the season’s flowers - among them, the hellebores. Hellebores come in such an artful array of colors, markings, and formations, it’s hard not to love these fascinating perennials. I’ve had hellebores in my gardens for many years, and I find it so rewarding to have blooms that start in March, and continue through spring until the end of May - to me, hellebores are must-haves for any gardener's collection.
Here are some photos of the hellebores blooming at my farm now, enjoy.
-
- Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They blossom during late winter and early spring for up to three months.
-
- Hellebores are widely grown for decorative purposes because they are easy-to-grow and are able to resist frost. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod.
-
- These plants are best grown in organically rich, humusy, well-drained soils in part to full shade. I have gorgeous clumps growing in the shade gardens around my home.
-
- The bright green foliage looks so dramatic against the colors of their blooms.
-
- This hellebore flower is just about to open. Hellebore flowers come in pretty much any color from white and pink to green, apricot, and even deep purple, etc.
-
- Unlike the blooms of most other flowering plants, hellebore flowers do not consist of petals, but of sepals, which serve to protect the flower.
-
- Here, one can see the stamens and the carpels – the delicate parts shielded by the sepals.
-
- Hellebores also come in many varieties, from veined or picotee, and single, anemone or double flowers.
-
- This pink hellebore bloom has darker pink veining on the backs of its sepals.
-
- The colors of the sepals and the petals within the flower attract the insects. Hellebore flowers are not choosy about their insects, so all types can pollinate the flowers effectively.
-
- The sepals and veins on this hellebore are deeply colored to invite pollinators.
-
- Hellebores benefit from a moderate amount of watering. They like to be watered deeply enough to saturate the root zone but then not watered again until the soil feels dry to the touch. These plants are drought tolerant but quite sensitive to soggy soil.
-
- Here is another darker colored hellebore ready to bloom.
-
- If adding hellebores to the garden, combine them with ferns, hostas or heuchera. Or use them as accents along pathways or borders.
-
- Hellebores can reach up to 36 inches in height and width, so be sure to position hellebores in protected areas away from winter winds.
-
- All parts of the hellebore plant are poisonous, including the seeds, so use caution when considering the planting location. One great advantage – hellebores are also deer and vole resistant.
-
- Monthly feeding with an all-purpose fertilizer will encourage healthy, lush growth in hellebores.
-
- This single flowering hellebore is deep purple in color with burgundy leaves.
-
- ‘HGC Pink Frost’ starts out as deep burgundy, but then opens to soft pink and ages to earthy shades of rose. Here, the flowers rise above the foliage and face outward.
-
- Given the right conditions, hellebores will spread nicely in the garden and look beautiful through the season. What hellebores do you grow? Share them with me in the comments section below. Also let me know what else you’d like me to cover on my blog, especially during this time. And be sure to check out my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for more photos, tips, and inspirations. Wherever you live, I hope you are able to enjoy some of the colors of spring – stay safe.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
