Helleborus hybridus ViV Laura

Helleborus x hybridus ViV Laura is a variety of the excellent ViV series with a particularly stout and compact habit. This hellebore produces double light purple flowers, speckled with darker spots, at the end of the year. A bunch of yellow stamens burst from the centre, forming a happy contrast with the petals. Its decorative, dark green evergreen foliage, forms a very compact clump both in pots and open ground. This hardy hellebore needs a shaded position and humus-rich soil to thrive.

The Hellebores of the ViV® series are varieties resulting from in-vitro multiplication. Unlike varieties resulting from seed, hellebores produced by in-vitro guarantee flowering that is rigorously identical to the variety from which they originate. They have the same genetic characteristics as the mother plant, are more vigorous, and develop uniformly.

Helleborus x hybridus ViV Laura belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, which includes about sixty genera and around 2500 species, mostly herbaceous. Helleborus orientalis is native to Greece, Turkey, and the central and eastern Caucasus. It is a perennial plant that hybridizes very easily with other species, resulting in hybrids with varied colours and forms. These hybrids are rarely given variety names. Oriental Hellebore is a hardy plant that can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C (5°F), naturally growing in forests, thickets, and clearings up to 2,000 m (2,187 yards) in altitude.

Laura is a beautiful example, forming a very dense and compact clump, 35 to 45 cm (14 to 18in) tall and almost as wide. It consists of palmate, slightly toothed, dark green and shiny basal leaves, decorative all year round. These are evergreen but actually live for only 8 months and are regularly replaced by new leaves. Laura mainly blooms in November and December, but can extend a little more into winter depending on the season. Its flowers have a romantic charm, resembling old roses or peonies. Formed of several rows of light purple, layered petals with a slightly wrinkled appearance, enhanced by multiple small dark purple dots. A bunch of yellow stamens emanating from the centre adds a contrasting colour. The flowers are slightly inclined downwards to allow rainwater to drain, otherwise, the heart coul rot. Hellebores do not like to be moved once established, and young plants sometimes take time to flower, so choose a location carefully. The seeds are sown by ants.

How can you resist Hellebores, and Laura in particular? Its flowers, 5 or 6 cm (2in) in diameter, are highlighted by the dark foliage and will look great in a romantic border, in partial shade, on the edge of tall shrubs or trees. To enliven spring, plant a Bleeding Heart alongside them, like the unusual White Gold, with pleasantly cut yellow-golden foliage that contrasts with the dark green of the Hellebore, and brightens up the partial shade. Its white heart-shaped flowers will fit well. To celebrate summer, add Hydrangea paniculata Petite Star with a wider-than-tall compact shape, whose slightly old-fashioned charming flowers change from lemon green to cream white, then pink before turning red as autumn approaches.