Hellebores
The ultimate shade plant

During the chilly days of late winter, while most of us are eagerly awaiting the blooms of daffodils and crocus, some of our gardening friends are already enjoying the beauty of flowers.

That’s because their gardens contain hellebores -- lovely evergreen plants that produce blooms in January and February.

Hybrid hellebores are easy to grow and relatively care free. Few perennials give you the range of colors and length of bloom.

They are the ultimate shade plant but will also tolerate almost full sun.

They are long lived and have few diseases or pests. The fact that they are basically evergreen only adds to their allure. No wonder they were the Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year for 2005.

Hellebores are poisonous, so it’s best to wear gardening gloves while working with this plant. Because of their toxicity, hellebores are consequently prized as “deer resistant” garden plants.

Hellebores are the specialty of the house at Sunshine Farm and Gardens. Barry Glick has been breeding his own line of hybrids and growing most of the species for many years now. You can find lots of information on breeding, propagating and cultivation, in addition to image galleries, at www.sunfarm.com. Many of Barry Glick’s hellebores are available at Lavalette Nursery -- at least until the word gets out and they’re all sold.