Shaping perfection (expanded version)
February 2001
Over the last twenty years the popularity of hellebores has continued to increase as more and more gardeners around the world become captivated and the devotion of existing enthusiasts continues unabated.
One of the reasons for their continued popularity is the ease with which they hybridise. This has allowed an increasing number of enthusiastic gardeners, professional plant breeders and specialist nurseries to continue development, creating many new and improved forms which are becoming increasingly widely available and which feed the frenzy.
Orientalis Hybrids
This commonly used name covers hybrids between forms of H. orientalis, the Lenten rose, and any other species; however, wild species themselves are now less often used in breeding, most breeders preferring to work from existing hybrids which have already been refined in terms of colour and shape.
Most recent developments are derived from the plants created by the pioneering British hybridists Eric Smith, Jim Archibald then Elizabeth Strangman at Washfield Nursery and Helen Ballard. In Britain, John Massey and Philip Baulk at Ashwood Nurseries and Robin White at Blackthorn Nursery are now the leading breeders, having used stock from the pioneers and moved forward impressively. Will McLewin of Phedar Nurseries also works with these plants and more particularly with species while Graham Birkin of Graham’Äôs Paradise Garden, Richard Bramley of Farmhouse Nurseries and Roger Harvey of Harvey’Äôs Garden Plants, and are also serious breeders. Seed from German lists produced by Gisela Schmiemann, who took over Helen Ballard’Äôs stock, and Marlene Ahlburg has also contributed to developments.
A number of enthusiasts from the United States have taken back carefully chosen plants from Britain which, in spite of having to be washed free of every speck of soil while in full flower, have allowed them to start with excellent stock. In the north west, where the climate is most similar to that in Britain, Glen Withey and Charles Price are improving both colour and shape, Dan Hinckley at Heronswood is creating his own colour strains, Elfie Rahr in Seattle is developing unusually vigorous plants, Northwest Garden Nursery sell a range of good quality plants derived from Gisela Schmiemann and Will McLewin seed, as well as from other breeders including working in the area.
Seed-raised strains, in separate colours, are becoming more widely available and this approach is also now being extended into double and anemone-flowered forms. Elizabeth Strangman was the pioneer of this approach, producing strains in a wide range of colours and at a quality far superior to many of the older, named clones still sought out by gardeners. Elizabeth has now retired and closed her nursery but she has arranged for her strains to be made more widely available in the future.
Other breeders continue in this way, each sale plant is derived from controlled hand pollination of carefully selected parents - the strain being constantly improved by the selection of superior parent plants.
In the single-flowered types, still seen by many as the best garden plants, refining flower shape, expanding the colour range and stabilising the colours have been the main objectives. A rounded, bowl-shaped form is still the most popular although Roger Harvey is working on a plants with a more starry flower form like ’ÄòBradfield Star’Äô.
Some colours, especially the reds and yellows, are still in need of improvement, John Massey, for example, is developing a strain of superb yellows with golden nectaries. Newer colours like apricot are becoming popular and there is a growing demand for picotees, especially those with dark centres. Spotted types are amongst the most difficult to fix. Evenness of spotting across the five ’Äòpetals’Äô is still the aim.
Breeding for flowers facing outward, or even upward, has been an aim of many breeders, hoping to improve the garden display and this feature, now becoming more constant in the best strains, is achieved, in effect, by selecting for short flower stems (peduncles). Elfi Rahr has had some success with this and has also developed the tallest and most robust plants I’Äôve seen. But generally this is a feature which varies from year to year and can be counterproductive in breeding terms as the flowers nod naturally to protect the reproductive parts from rain - upward facing flowers collect the rain. But most breeders aim for flowers which face outward.
Some nurseries take a more relaxed approach, simply collecting seed from good plants which have been bee-pollinated and giving them names like Royal Heritage, Ballards Strain or giving the name of a clone to seed collected from open pollinated plants. The results, however, can be highly unpredictable. So the best advice, unless you’Äôre prepared to take a chance, is to visit a nursery and choose plants in flower.
Graham Birkin, though, has a different approach, hand pollinating to create predictable results then splitting the best plants for sale. Unfortunately for those of us in Britain, much of his stock is exported to the USA where it is providing material for a new generation of breeders.
Doubles and anemone-centred forms
Double flowered forms come from a number of sources and are exciting many gardeners. Robin White’Äôs Party Dress Group, with its pure colours and outward facing flowers, is derived from wild collected double forms of H. torquatus crossed with good Orientalis Hybrids and has been used by other breeders. ’ÄòSnow Queen,’Äô the almost pure white double, from Germany, with no torquatus blood, has larger, generally nodding flowers on more vigorous plants. This, and its descendants, have been used more recently.
Breeders of doubles fall into three camps: Robin White does not use the German doubles in his work, for although they are undeniably vigorous he feels that they flower too sparsely and their pendulous flowers counteract his ideal of flowers which face outward. Roger Harvey takes the opposite view, using only the German doubles as he feels those with blood from H. torquatus are prone to disease. John Massey and Richard Bramley have used both groups but select rigorously for vigour, outward facing flowers and resistance to disease.
New doubles still appear by chance, for example in Tasmania John Dudley found a white, double-flowered plant in a large planting of single whites in a neglected garden and named it ’ÄòMrs Betty Ranicar’Äô; it seems larger and purer in colour than ’ÄòSnow Queen’Äô and John has used it to breed doubles, including good pinks and some lovely anemone-centred forms.
Anemone-centred types, in which the nectaries have become partially, petaloid, rouse strong opinions - for and against. They are derived from crossing single and double flowered parents, and when crossed with each other produce a mixture of forms. Some are gorgeous, especially one produced by Richard Bramley, a pale picotee with large crimson nectaries. Anemone-centred types seem especially popular in the United States but the difficulty of producing them reliably, except by dividing individual plants, restricts their availability. They are derived from crossing single and double flowered parents, and when crossed with each other produce a mixture of double, single and anemone-centred plants.
Some breeders are trying to improve the foliage to create a better all-the-year-round garden plant and this still continues, crossing Orientalis Hybrids with H. torquatus and especially H. multifidus subsp. hercegovinus to introduce dark or divided foliage. But this is a slow process as at first flower quality deteriorates dramatically and rich foliage colour can be fleeting and often varies with the season.
Some crave variegated forms although Elizabeth Strangman used to throw away variegated seedlings, as others still do, but very few variegated seedlings have proved stable. James W. Waddick has grown on many variegated seedlings but is yet to find a stable one - except for a plant he calls ’ÄòConfetti’Äô, which he received from Germany; its leaves are speckled cream but it has poor flowers. It sounds similar to ’ÄòGraigueconna’Äô, illustrated in In an Irish Garden, which has never been commercially available.
Some breeders are also investigating autumn flowering but it is clear that flowers produced in autumn are often atypical and usually inferior to those produced at the normal season.
Stemmed hellebores
Some superb foliage plants have recently been developed in this group. Until recently the Corsican hellebore, H. argutifolius, has been remarkably stable but here have been a number of recent exceptions. ’ÄòLittle ’ÄòErbert’Äô, is a dwarf form reaching only 15in/38cm, due to be introduced by Ashwood Nursery soon, should be invaluable in smaller and exposed gardens and could lead to some new interesting hybrids.
From the United States ’ÄòPacific Frost’Äô and ’ÄòJanet Starnes’Äô both feature speckled foliage. Some reports suggest these are almost indistinguishable, others that the latter is less vigorous or more yellow-speckled rather than white speckled or may show pink tinges. Both seem to appreciate a little shade. And last year, RD Plants in Devon introduced ’ÄòSilver Lace’Äô, a form with pretty, uniformly pewtery foliage and this has already had wide distribution.
The Majorcan H. lividus, too, is a stable plant. Bring it together with H. argutifolius and the highly variable H. x sternii is the result. Recent stars like Ashwood Strain and Blackthorn Strain are neat and dwarf with prettily silvered foliage. The challenge now is, having created such attractive foliage plants, to improve their hardiness so more gardeners can grow them. In The USA I’Äôve seen plants derived from backcrossing H. lividus on to ’ÄòAshwood Strain’Äô to give dwarf, silver plants with an impressive pink flush but their hardiness is certainly suspect.
Will McLewin is well known for introducing some fine forms of H. foetidus from the wild. More recently Hopley’Äôs Plants introduced ’ÄòChedglow’Äô, discovered by Martin Cragg-Barber, with yellow foliage although I found this rather a weak plant. It has now been joined by ’ÄòGold Bullion’Äô, raised by Ray Brown at Plant World in Devon, also derived from plants originating with Martin Cragg-Barber and which seems identical, though more vigorous.
Crossing these yellow leaved forms with red stemmed forms like ’ÄòWester Flisk’Äô could lead to the development of spectacular foliage plants with the vigour to thrive in the garden.
In the USA ’ÄòPiccadilly’Äô, originating at Pine Knot Farms in Virginia, has prettily sheened, black-green foliage and whitish-green flowers with reddish markings on the flower stem and leaf axils. Northwest Garden Nursery at Eugene, Oregon have crossed the silvered ’ÄòSopron’Äô and with red tinted ’ÄòWester Flisk’Äô and created ’ÄòRed Silver’Äô, with the main features of both. Barry Glick has introduced ’ÄòMarlene’Äô, with unusually lacy foliage, and ’ÄòSilvertooth’Äô with dramatic silvery leaves.
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Helleborus niger and its hybrids
Early flowering in H. niger still pre-occupies many breeders. There are continual reports of individual plants flowering at, or even before Christmas, but so often this is caused by unusual weather conditions or local climate there is not yet a dependable early flowering strain. ’ÄòThanksgiving, raised by Barry Glick at Sunshine Farm and gardens in West Virginia may prove an exception. In Australia and New Zealand, of course, there is less determination to find plants that flower ’Äòat Christmas’Äô as Christmas falls in the summer but earlier flowering is still sought.
Robin White is working hard on a good pink-flowered form of H. niger and increasingly their tenacity as garden plants would be very useful; so many gardeners still find them difficult to keep for more than a few years. The Nell Lewis Strain is an unusually hardy strain selected by Pine Knot Farms in Virginia. Double and anemone-centred forms have also recently been reported, seed of an anemoine-centred form has been offered this year in the seed list of the Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group.
Hybrids between H. niger and other species, H. argutiolius, H. lividus and their hybrid H. x sternii, continue to excite more. Such hybrids are sterile, and Robin White has specialised, with great success, in producing dependable results from the seedlings of such crosses, especially H. x nigercors, which I have found to be a prolific garden plant. A recent report of a fertile form of H. x ballardiae (H. lividus x H. niger) (see The Garden…) may overoptimistic.
Over the decades reports have occasionally surfaced of hybrids between H. niger and H. orientalis and although these usually prove not to be hybrids there is more definite evidence from France of a true hybrid.
Hellebores in the future
Over the decades reports have occasionally surfaced of hybrids between H. niger and H. orientalis and although these usually prove not to be hybrids there is more definite evidence from France of a true hybrid which could lead to a whole new class of plants.
Crossing yellow-leaved forms of H. foetidus with red-stemmed forms like ’ÄòWester Flisk’Äô could lead to the development of spectacular foliage plants with the vigour to thrive in the garden.
The arrival in Britain of H. thibetanus from China has created a flurry of interest. Home-grown plants are now available but opinions differ as to the advisability of crossing them with the Orientalis Hybrids: some say their small flowers and long germination to flowering period will only contribute negative characteristics… another breeder expects to introduce such hybrids soon. And the original Chinese supplier reports red-flowered and variegated forms.
A hybrid between H. thibetanus and H. niger was launched at the RHS London Flower Show in January 2001. ’ÄòPink Ice’Äô was bred by Philip Baulk at Ashwood Nurseries and has white flowers prettily veined in pink delightful marbled foliage.
And finally, remembering that double flowered Orientalis Hybrids are formed when nectaries develop into petals, I asked a number of breeders with single-flowered, dark-nectaried plants about crossing them into doubles to produce two-tone doubles: these are, it seems, on the way.
Hellebores in North America
In recent years there has been a rapid development of interest in hellebores in North America, the chapter on the subject in my hellebore book represents only the beginning of the story. Breeding is going on in many different parts of the country, with most stock originating in Britain.
Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm and Gardens grows an enormous number of plants. Although he concentrates on Orientalis Hybrids, with 50,000 stock plants on his nursery in West Virginia, he also works with H. foetidus and other species. His Sunshine Strain of Orientalis Hybrids has been developed by careful hand pollination and selection using plants from all the leading European breeders as well as some from New Zealand and Australia. He has good blacks and yellows and picotees and growing so many seedlings allows him a good chance to select superior new forms.
In Washington State Charles Price also started with British stock, originally from Elizabeth Strangman and Robin White with additions of Ashwood and Ballard blood and selected American plants. His yellows, sold through local outlets, picotees (or bicolours as he prefers to call them) and Party Dress doubles are especially good and he also has promising developments in a range of other colours.
Russell and Yvonne Graham in Salem, Oregon are developing their own strains and also retailing a good selection of plants originating in Britain with Graham Birkin alongside a range of other unusual perennials. They are also searching for genuine ’ÄòChristmas’Äô rose and actively working on Orientalis Hybrids with dark foliage.
In Nova Scotia Ken Shannik and John Weagle at Insigne Gardens raise about 7000 plants a year from seed derived from Ballard, McLewin and Ashwood stock with the addition of selected plants from the widely distributed Royal Heritage strain and blacks from Wanna Reardon-Smith in Devon. They are very wary about naming plants, John’Äôs experience of the rhododendron breeding scene has shown the dangers of being too free with names, but they continue to improve their stock by careful selection and ruthless culling of poor plants.
Dick and Judith Knott Tyler at Pine Knot Farm in Clarksville, Virginia are working on most types of hellebores. Like most American breeders they collected plants from the best British breeders and one of their particular intentions is to bring together beautiful flower colour and form with the best possible foliage. They are also working on doubles and anemone centred forms as well as H. x sternii, H. niger and H. foetidus.
Another source in the hotbed of hellebore fanatics in the pacific North West is Ernie O’ÄôByrne of Northwest Garden Nursery in Eugene, Oregon. They have added fine plants from Charles Price to their European stocks and for the last ten years have aimed for rounded outward facing flowers. Blacks and apricots are a special enthusiasms, they are also working on doubles, and they have also developed a lovely form of H. foetidus, ’ÄòRed Silver’Äô.
In Seattle the garden of Elfie Rahr is stunning. Raiser of the tallest and most vigorous plants you’Äôll ever see, she grows thousands of plants in her woodland garden and her reds are especially good. As well as vigour she selects for outward facing flowers and unlike many breeders raises most of her seedlings by sowing in the open ground - and has great success.
At nearby Heronswood Dan Hinkley is developing his own strains derived from both British and American stock and the Heronswood Hybrids are now available in six colour groups. At hellebore open day in February there are also plants available from other local suppliers such as Charles Price and Pete Ray or Puget Garden Resources.
Don Jacobs of Eco Gardens in Georgia includes hellebores amongst his range of intriguing plants James W. Waddick in Kansas City breeds for his own satisfaction rather than as a business and is anxious to see really good yellows and continues to appreciate good whites.
Hellebores in Australia and New Zealand
Hellebore activity is increasing in both Australia and New Zealand with a number of enthusiasts working seriously. John Dudley of Elizabeth Town Nursery in Northern Tasmania is developing doubles, anemone-centred types as well as a pink spotted strain based on wild collected H. orientalis subsp. abchasicus and he also lists a number of distinct forms of H. x sternii.
Ian Collier near Canberra grows species sourced from Will McLewin and has also developed a good range of doubles and been featured on Channel 9. Ted West in Victoria has held the Australian National Collection of hellebores for twenty five years and trading as Hellebore House produces both a seed and a plant list with many cultivars of his own raising.
Sources
Good hellebores can be hard to find but these are nurseries that you can depend on to provide good quality, carefully named plants or seed. If possible, visit the nursery and choose plants in flower.
United Kingdom
Ashwood Nurseries
Beth Chatto Gardens
Blackthorn Nursery
Crˆªg Farm Plants
Farmyard Nurseries
Fibrex Nurseries
Glebe Cottage Plants
Harveys Garden Plants
Phedar Nursery
Rushfields of Ledbury
Washfield Nursery
United states and Canada
Eco Gardens
Graham's Hellebores
Heronswood Nursery
Pink Knot Farms
Plant Delights
Russell Graham, Purveyor of Plants
Sunshine Farm and Gardens
Windy Hill Plant Farm
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