Day 5: Hellebores

 Hellebores are a plant that I've grown rather fond of over the past couple of years. I have a few different varieties scattered in the newest border... although I think mine perhaps get a little too much sunlight in summer. They are a good plant to grow in shadier areas of the garden with rich soil.

There is one native variety of hellebore, Helleborus foetidus, or the stinking hellebore. It is not one that I have (yet) managed to find to grow, but is on the list of new plants I am searching for. Of the varieties I do have, Helleborus niger, the top photo here, is the one that flowers earliest, sometimes as early as December, which is why an alternative name for it is the Christmas rose. Helleborus orientalis, or Lenten rose, is another that I find reliable, with pale pink flowers, and the bottom picture here is the newest, but of a variety that I can't recall the name of.

All add interest and colour to the garden during winter, and are supposed to offer early nectar for queen bumblebees. I do sometimes see bumble- and other bees near their cup-shaped flowers, but they aren't as attractive to them as other plants in bloom at the same time.

When in garden centres, watching where bees are nectaring is a reliable method of choosing the right plants for them. Last year, I spotted some stunning dark purple hellebores covered in bumblebees when plant shopping, but I didn't buy them at the time and couldn't find them again. Lesson learnt!

References:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/hellebore accessed 27/03/20
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/plant-fungi-species/stinking-hellebore accessed 27/03/20
Thomas, A. (2017) Gardening for Wildlife, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.