Friday, July 11, 2008

Hellebore orientalis

We are having to change our sources of Hellebore orientalis and there are, and will be more, interesting new strains and, for the first time, vegetatively propagated varieties. Hellebores are notoriously difficult to micropropagate, hence the price of H. ori ‘Swirling Skirts’. I can’t find a good picture of this, but a poor one I found shows broad outer petals with many shorter inner petals, all in clear white with red spotting. It could be lovely. H. ori ‘Metallic Blue’ will be like our previous ‘Smokey Purple’. H. ori. ‘Double Queen Mixed’ derives from Elizabeths Strangman’s breeding work and is said to flower 100% double. I am a little dubious of this claim (because of the company who is making it), but we may yet be happily surprised.

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