Helleborus orientalis ‘Metallic Blue Lady’

Smart gardeners plant for seasonal interest, & no shade garden can really be complete without a few Hellebores in the mix. These tough perennials are always lovely in leaf, but show their true colors around the Holiday season, when they regale us with their subtle but elegant show of flowers, which arise from the ground like magic when everything else is mostly dormant. ‘Metallic Blue Lady’ is a 2’x2’ seed grown hybrid in deep purpley-blue hues. Cup-shaped flowers are down-turned, & dusted lightly with a metallic sheen. Amended soil will yield the best performance, but Hellebores can deal with less with aplomb. Their minimum requirement is a Fall planting to establish with Winter rains, & occasional snail-bait to protect them from their natural foes – terrestrial mollusks.

Claire Woods