Wharf House Gardener

The recent milder weather has hastened the flowering of most of our hellebores.  After snowdrops, they are the first concerted burst of colour in our garden.  They do have a tendency to hold their lovely heads downwards but are well worth a bend down to turn their faces towards one.  We bought a batch of 12 tiny plugs last year, grew them on in the nursery bed through the summer and planted them out in the Autumn.  They’re all named varieties and include some absolute stunners.  The picture on the left shows ‘Double Ellen Purple’, which is amongst my favourites.  Sadly, the beauty on the right has lost its label and is therefore currently nameless!

Sadly, it’s not really Spring yet is it?  We’ve not yet even had St. Valetine’s Day but the ‘Spring Garden’ here at Wharf House is already beginning to perform.  This gorgeous double hellebore is ‘Double Ellen White’.  Hellebores are the most important plant in our garden at this time of the year, supplemented by drifts of snowdrops, a few clumps of early crocus and cyclamen.  Most of the hellebores are of the common, self-seeded pinky-mauve variety.  Last year though, we bought some named varieties, sold as tiny plugs, which we grew on in the nursery bed and planted out in the autumn. ‘Ellen’ is one of these purchases and it’s immensely satisfying to see her doing so well.