While we may be used to seeing them grow outdoors, there’s no reason we can’t grow Hellebores as houseplants, and they are an absolute treat in late winter, when we’re all desperate for the world to burst back into life and colour.
They’re quite easy to look after indoors, it’s really about finding the right balance between cool air temperature and bright light. They won’t enjoy a hot room and dry air or a dark spot.
To make the most of those nodding flower heads you can trim away some of the excess leaves to expose the stems. You can let Helen dry out quite significantly between watering; she’ll prefer that to being overwatered. Just be careful not to let her dry out completely as she may struggle to bounce back.
Once Helen has finished flowering, cut back any dead stems and sad leaves. Continue to water and feed your plant once a month. This will help it store lots of energy so that it can flower again the following year. It will then go into what we call ‘dormancy’, or in the language that we understand, sleep.
To get your hellebore to flower the following year, you’ll need to expose it to cooler temperatures, between four and seven degrees celsius, for at least six weeks. Pop it on a cool windowsill or even on an outdoor step if that’s easy.
Did you know?
Outside in the garden and wild woods, Hellebores are generally left uneaten by animals such as deer and rabbits because the leaves produce toxins that make them taste bad – a very clever survival strategy indeed!
Low light
Winter interest
Flowering
