Helleborus 2015

[johnralphcarpenter]

The season is well advanced; some pictures from today. Helleborus x sahinii 'Winter Bells', a small plant still; Helleborus orientalis subsp. abchasicus; and some Helleborus x hybridus at the front of the house, originally from Washfield Nursery.

[Leena]

Here I will have to wait three or four more months to see hellebore flowers, but it is so nice to see them already starting to flower in photos . Thank you.

[PeterClegg]

Always nice to see first blooms of the year , a few of my first time bloomers

[Maggi Young]

A real mid-January treat, Peter.  Perfect flowers!

[Palustris]

Very early ones.

Emma

Bob's Best

Unnamed double from a T&M offer a few years back.

[Leena]

Very nice to see Helleborus flowers. I liked especially the middle one in Peter's pictures. Do you know it's origin?

[PeterClegg]

Leena the middle flower is from one of my own hybrids , mother plant was an Ashwood type yellow and pollen parent was a wild torquatus double , it is the first from that cross to flower so I am hoping for a few more good ones to follow.

[johnstephen29]

Here are two hellebores flowering with me at the moment, first is H. Lividus and second is a unknown variety of hellebore, if anyone knows what it is I would appreciate it. Thanks John


Hellebore Lividus by johnstephen29, on Flickr


Hellebore by johnstephen29, on Flickr

[Tim Murphy]

John, your H. lividus is H. argutifolius and your second hellebore is a hybrid, H. x hybridus.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Tim thanks for letting me know about the argutifolius, I bought it from a garden centre, you would have thought they would have know the proper name.

[Yann]

Helleborus purpurascens

[Paul T]

John,

You may have come across argutifolius as H. corsicus, which is what I still know it as.  I think argutifolius is the correct name, but just wanted to mention the other as I think it is fairly commonly used?  Can get quite tall in the right conditions too.... my sister had one that used to flower at nearly 1.5m tall each year, tucked between too buildings.  It LOVED it.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Paul yes it does get tall, it always cheers me to see it flowering. I know it's not the most spectacular of hellebores, but I like. As for the name like I said to Tim when I bought it the lable said hellebore lividus, so that's what I thought it was.

[johnralphcarpenter]

H. lividus and H. argutifolius are closely related. The former comes from the Balearic Islands and the latter from Corsica. I find H. argutifolius to be totally hardy here and it seeds around, but H. lividus is tender and needs pot cultivation.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Ralph your right about argutifolius seeding around, I have pulled up loads to stop me getting swamped by them. I wish Niger was as vigorous, I'd be as happy as Larry then.