February can seem like a month that nothing is happening or going
on in the garden but actually that is not the case and a lot has
been going on, Snowdrops that have been sleeping over the summer
months are now busting into life with their delicate nodding bells
of winter beauty. Tete a Tete daffodils, one of the earliest of
spring bulbs are putting up their showy display of vibrant spring
yellow, Crocus opening up widely to soak up the warm spring rays of
sunshine to attract pollination and the Eranthis or winter aconite
with it’s rich green leaves and a delicate yellow cup shaped almost
buttercup like flowers, they can form massed carpets and are often
seen in churchyards where they are left undisturbed. A lot has
happened over the winter, new roots have grown, bulbs nourished and
swollen and now in February it’s all about to burst into
life.
There are numerous spring bulbs to give us a colourful display but
one of the most showy of all the plants for heralding the spring
garden is the delightful Hellebore.They are so easy to grow and
care for and although some do like a moist dappled shady spot many
will grow quite happily in full sunshine and for those with a clay
soil, well the Hellebore will love it. Totally hardy your Hellebore
will not be harmed with any harsh weather that may be thrown at it
and although they can droop with a severe frost they quickly
recover with a bit of warmth. Hellebores cover a wide spectrum of
colour shades from pinks, creams, yellow, black red and many shades
in between with both single and double flowers. Although i refer to
them as flowers they are technically a bract. The christmas rose a
white variety is one of the earliest to flower as it’s name
suggests flowering around Christmas time. When February comes the
Hellebore puts up its stunning show and unlike many other spring
flowers that have a relatively short flowering time, the Hellebore
can go on for a long while easily flowering for a month or more
they just gradually fade in colour as the seed head develops. Large
clumps can be dug up after flowering and divided into smaller
clumps and replanted this way you know what you have and although
they are vigorous in their production of seeds and plant-lets the
resulting plant could be of any colour and it’s not the ideal way
of growing your Hellebores.There has over the years been much work
done in developing new varieties and colours by specialist growers
and they are definitely a very fashionable plant to have in the
garden. Many of the recent developments in the breeding of
Hellebores have resulted in a much more upright flowerhead so that
the speckled flowers can be much more visible. Wagon House gardens
at the Jinney Ring craft centre will be holding a special Hellebore
event showcasing these upright varieties from February 14th, this
has become a popular annual event in the calendar. Easy to look
after your hellebore will benefit from a feed with a liquid
fertiliser such as a tomato feed, this will encourage more flowers.
Remove last years leaves prior to flowering as they can become
blackened this is quite normal, the added benefit is that the
flowers then become much more exposed.
Perfect planted into a pot or container your hellebore will give
you years of pleasure and with the added benefit of being able to
move it to brighten up any dull corner.They truly are one of my
favourite garden plants for the season and i think that they might
become yours to.