Heleborus

Heleborus persistently handsome, eventually becoming green. Their foliage is bold and evergreen, and in some of the new hybrids the marbled leaves are just as celebrated as the flowers. The colours vary from the softest woodpigeon grey to pale apricot or damson, and from leaf green to the deepest black or pure white. They can be striped or spotted, picotee or plain, double or anemone-centred or simply single.Hellebores also make great cut flowers – simply snip off flower heads and float in a shallow bowl of water.