Hellebores

HELLEBORES

A brief history of cultivation

The cultivation and hybridising of hellebores started in the 19th century with German botanists leading the field. New forms soon found their way into the plant lists of British nurseries and so began the enduring fascination for this species.

Hybridising in the UK really began in earnest after the Second World War with eminent plantsmen and women such as E B Anderson, Sir Frederick Stern and Margery Fish doing much early work in this field.

Two great stars in the ‘70s were Eric Smith and Helen Ballard. Helen Ballard loved the plain colours, whereas Eric Smith favoured the speckled varieties, although his clear primrose yellow Sirius is still alive and vigorous today, after 30 years.

Jim Archibald who ran the famous Plantsman Nursery in Dorset with Eric, has written a lovely article about his life with this famous man in The Gardeners Guide to Growing Hellebores - see below.

Elizabeth Strangman, Will McLewin, Robin White and many others have taken the breeding of hellebores to an even higher art, so that there are many beautiful forms and colours to choose from today.