What if one was to bloom all year round?

While the god of gardening, Monty Don, combats winter with as much green as possible. I, on the hand, like a randomly awakened bee, need flowers.  Outdoors and indoors.

Hellebores for outdoors and Amaryllis for indoors.

Is it winter that you are into? Not at all. I used to be. At least the snow, when it happened, had a way of reflecting light, even on the dullest of days. But the greyness of recent winters, especially with prolonged cloud cover we’ve had in the UK, has become harder to bear. I hunker after spring more and more.

Mr. Thomas Fairchild

It would be an interesting challenge to create an ‘eternal spring’ garden. Modern UK climate and huge plant choice makes this a possibility. So it is hard to conceive that in late 17th, early 18th century English gardens looked dull and miserable for at least 5 months of the year. Brompton Park, biggest nursery at the time, was only able to offer plants that flowered between February and September. Turf and topiary defined English winter.

For some this was not enough. Thomas Fairchild, a keen gardener, was not happy about the poor selection. He had set out to fill his Hoxton nursery with plants, so exotic and ‘so rare, that they are scarcely to be seen, unless at Mr Fairchild’s'. Amongst them were Hellebores.

Outdoors - Growing Hellebores in pots

Helleborus Ice N' Roses (left) / Frostkiss Glendas Frost (right)

So here I am, planting my spring, starting with growing hellebores in pots. The flowers are huge and showy and varieties are abundant.

Helleborus Frosty

A few, such as Lividus, Stinking (Foetidus) and X Hybridus have a shallow-ish root system and suitable for growing in pots, which is great if you want to brighten up a balcony or a roof top.

Hellebores Care

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• Soil: Plants perform best in the range of pH7-6. John Innes No.3. In summer move the pots into shade to prevent harsh drying out.

• Feed: Blood, fish and bone or slow release general fertiliser in early spring.

• Propagate: By seed or divide in Autumn, this is Hellebore’s spring. Do not divide into many little plants, it is unlikely to survive. Safe bet to just split big clumps in two.

• Combat disease: Remove old leaves between November and December, living an inch of stem. This prevents leaf spot.

• As cut flowers: Hellebores are really free flowering. If you are gathering flowers for a bouquet, consider plunging the bottom 1–2 inches (25mm - 50mm) of freshly cut stems into near-boiling water for 20–30 seconds, for longer lusting bunch.

In winter expose the pots to maximum light, come summer move them into shade.

Hellebores are a vital food source for randomly awoken bees. Try to keep your pots closely together to save ravenous bees energy and time. As Darwin documented in ‘On the origin of species’, some bees will cut holes at the basis of certain flowers if it means less flying.

I’ve chosen flowers with purply tones and flecks as bees generally gravitate to purple flowers, which UV light makes stand out more.

Indoors - Amaryllis

Last spring I tested growing bulbs vertically with good success. So of course it seemed reasonable to go from daffodils to the king of bulbs, Amaryllis. But that’s next time.

Additional sources:

"Hellebores : a comprehensive guide" by Burrell, C. Colston

"The Brother Gardeners" by Andrea Wulf

"On the origin of species" by Charles Darwin

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Welcome to The Plant Notebook

My name is Anna and I'm a maker with an interest in plants. I run Horticus from my pottery studio in Leicester where I make my living wall kits, write about indoor gardening and dabble in fun experiments.

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Mini Living Wall Kit

It’s an itsy-bitsy, mini - weenie, living wall kit. Perfect for tiny spaces that are longing for greenery.

Small Living Wall Kit

A compact vertical garden that fits perfectly in any room, easy to care for and does not compromise on style.