Hello Hellebores

First hellebore flowers

The first hellebores are in bloom and are particularly welcome as I had to dig them all up in the autumn and put them in pots while I waited for building work to finish. It is generally said that they hate being moved and won’t flower for a few years afterwards, but I think the combination of the time of year and the mild winter means that they have dealt with the move far better than I expected and seem very happy back in their newly enriched beds. I’ve been around the various plants removing last year’s foliage and making sure that any affected by blackspot (as in the photo below) is put in the rubbish rather than composted.