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Winter flowers - Hellebores
By Barbara Moran, Good Earth It is always a challenge to find colour for the garden in winter. Over the next few weeks we will focus on flowers for winter and this week we’ll be focusing on Hellebores, with their winter flowers blooming to remind us that Spring will not be too far away. Hellebores grow well in our area and are best suited to cool, elevated regions Hellebores are part of the Ranunculaceae family. They are native to regions of Europe and Asia and, for those with green thumbs, individual plants can live for up to 40 years. In the Northern Hemisphere they are known as a Christmas Rose but in Australia we refer to them as a Winter Rose. They are perennials and largely evergreen with strong, leathery leaves which provide a steady foundation throughout the year for shade garden displays. Hellebores, which end the bleakness of winter early, can be found in a host of colours ranging from apricot, yellows and greens through to soft and deep shades of pink, maroon and even deep, dark plums or slate greys and, of course, cream to
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crisp whites. In addition, petals may be spotted or picoteed (narrow band of colour on edge of petals) whilst others may feature double petals for a ruffled, romantic appearance. There are many varieties of Hellebores to choose from but the most common species grown in Australia is Helleborus orientalis. This is a shorter variety with a beautiful flower. PGA (Plant Growers Australia) supply a great range of Hellebores, including Ivory Prince which is a heavy flowering variety with ivory-white flowers which fade to musky pink and age with an overlay of chartreuse green. Many hellebores are grown from seed which can offer variations from one plant to another, Hellebores such as Ivory Prince, however, are grown from tissue culture which guarantees that each and every plant will present consistent flower colour, habit and growth characteristics ensuring desired effects when mass planting. Hellebores are easy to grow, frost hardy and can withstand low water conditions, making them ideal for planting under trees where few other
plants can compete. They are mainly grown in dappled shade but they can tolerate a good deal of sunlight in a more open garden but will require mulching. They are quite tolerant of many well draining soil types. I have a neutral to alkaline soil in my garden but have mixed an organic garden mix with my soil and mulched them with leaf mulch. With sandy soil it’s important to add mulch and compost. Hellebores are among the most delightful garden plants. Plant them in the garden to get the most fantastic display during winter. If you plant a few plants now, they’ll reward you with wonderful flowers over many, many years. Barbara will be covering a range of sepcies over the coming weeks that work well in winter in our region.
If you have any specific questions for Barbara, please email us at editor@villagevoice.net.au
Winter gives our local photographers a whole new landscape to capture This tree on Portland/Wang Rd at Pipers Flat is one that many people drive past and ignor every day. It is in my humble opinion however an amazing piece of natural sculpture and a true gem in our natural environment. Local photographer Kathy Avgoulas managed to capture it on a foggy morning and really display it’s majestic and dignified stance. Personally, I call it epic tree, but what ever you call it, it is just one of many natural beauties in our region. Feel free to send us your photos of our region for inclusion to the Village Voice. Thanks Kathy, Rich.
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