Known variously as Oracle Flowers, Winter or Lenten Roses, Hellebores begin to emerge in the depths of winter, with glorious nodding blooms of white, delicate pink and deep plum red, tinged with green. The ability of these beautiful plants to bloom in the shade whilst defying frost, snow, ice and the darkness of winter has led to them being associated with resilience, renewal and, above all, hope in difficult times. Something the world needs more of right now!
Whilst it can take some years to establish Hellebores grown from seed, you can bring their protective qualities to your own home by placing mature plants in containers at the entrances of doors and gateways. Here they will provide months of joy from early spring onwards.
The container planting experts at Lechuza look at how you can bring hope to your front door with beautiful Hellebores.
Optimum growing conditions
Hellebores need rich compost and deep pots with very good drainage for their roots to spread out. Hellebores do not like intense hot sun so ideally place your containers in partial shade to stop them drying out.
Lechuza’s specialist Terrapon potting mix is the best choice for this job, as it perfectly combines the advantages of organic soil with those of mineral components such as pumice and expanded clay.
This potting mix is made from the same high-quality raw materials used in professional horticulture: pumice, expanded clay, and an effective fertiliser combination. The fresh organic clay naturally stores water and nutrients and provides balanced plant care. This protects against variations in water and nutrient levels and enables the plant to continue to thrive in dry or wet periods.
The perfect planters
Lechuza’s self-watering planters offer the ideal conditions for growing Hellebores in containers. CANTO Slatestone Stone Low 40 (RRP: £106.24) in dark grey is the perfect choice for the task in hand. Its natural textured finish and elegant square lines that will offset the mysterious ancient beauty of Hellebores to stunning effect, whilst offering plenty of room for its roots to grow.
The recipient of numerous design awards, CANTO planters include removable inserts with retractable handles to make planting easier, whilst the authentic slate-look is robust enough to withstand all weather conditions. Excess rainwater (plenty of that around right now) can be drained off via an overflow screw on the underside of the planter, to prevent waterlogging.
Alternatively, you can snag a bargain this season with 2 Canto Stone planters – matching Cube and Column – in graphite black, for just £104.46. All these planters come with some of Lechuza’s professional-quality mineral plant substrate included. Available via the Lechuza website.
Hellebores in Myths and Legends
One of the oldest medicinal plants in history, myths and legends associated with Hellebores stem back to ancient Greece. It was then that the legendary healer, Melampus, cured the daughters of King Proetus of madness. However, like all good Greek myths, there is a dual aspect to Hellebores, whose roots are toxic and were sometimes used as poison.
Hellebores in medieval Europe were thought to offer protection against evil spirits and were typically planted near entrances. Rather thrillingly, they were also used in witch’s potions as part of an elixir of youth. Sign us up already!
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LECHUZA specialises in state-of-the-art contemporary self-watering indoor and outdoor planters and professional quality growing media – ‘PON’ – which has achieved legendary status amongst the houseplant community.