Stinking hellebore

Stinking hellebore: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A loose clump about 60 cm tall and 45 cm wide, with sturdy, upright stems.

Leaves

Dark green, leathery and divided like a hand into narrow, toothed segments; evergreen.

Flower

Clusters of nodding, rounded bells 1–2 cm across, from February to April.

Colour

Pale green with a red to purplish-brown rim.

Scent

Mainly the crushed leaves smell unpleasant; you can hardly smell the flowers.

Fruit

Small groups of pods with black seeds, which are spread by ants.

Flowering: February–April · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: May–June

Why grow it?

• One of the few plants that do well in dry shade under trees.
• It flowers from February to April, when almost nothing else is in bloom.
• An important early food source for queen bumblebees and other bees.
• Evergreen: the dark, finely divided leaves look good all winter.
• Native and easy: it seeds itself and so fills a natural shade garden.

Stinking hellebore: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade or shade, for example under deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky; it is perfectly happy on chalk.
• Dry to normal soil: once established it tolerates drought, but not wet feet.
• Allow 40–50 cm between plants and plant them in groups of three or more.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.45 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrops: They flower at the same time and fill the ground around the clump in February.
• Ferns: A fresh green partner in the same dry shade.
• Barrenwort: An evergreen ground cover that also tolerates dry shade.
• Lungwort: Blue and pink flowers in March–April beside the green bells.
• Witch hazel: Fragrant winter flowers above the green bells.

Stinking hellebore: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and mix in some leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot, not deeper, or the base may rot.
4. Keep 40–50 cm between plants; it looks best in a group of three.
5. Water well straight away and regularly in dry spells during the first year.
6. Mulch with leaf mould or shredded leaves, like a woodland floor.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells during the first year; after that it copes even in dry shade.

Feeding

Not needed. A thin layer of leaf mould in autumn is enough.

Mulching

Simply leave fallen leaves in place: they keep the soil cool and feed the plant.

Spent flowers

Cut off spent stems if you do not want seedlings; leave them if it may seed itself.

Moving

Best avoided: older plants re-establish poorly. Move young seedlings instead.

Tip: Always leave a few seedlings: a plant usually lives only a few years, but its offspring fill the spot again by themselves.

Stinking hellebore: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June.

When: It is hardly pruned. In May–June, cut off the spent stems once the seed is ripe, or earlier if you do not want seedlings.

How:

• Each stem flowers only once and then dies: cut it off low down after flowering.
• Spare the young stems that have not yet flowered: they will flower next year.
• Cut off brown or spotted leaves as soon as you see them.
• Always wear gloves.

Caution: The sap can irritate the skin: wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seedlings

Seedlings often appear around the plant. Lift them with a little root ball in autumn or spring and plant them where you want.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in June–July in a pot of seed compost and leave it outdoors. It germinates only after winter, in spring.

Stinking hellebore: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Evergreen: the leaves stay and the flower buds appear in the middle of winter.
• Heavy snow can snap the stems: gently shake the snow off.
• In a pot: keep it in a sheltered spot and make sure the compost does not stay soaking wet.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf spot: Black or brown blotches on the leaves, especially in wet years. Cut off affected leaves and put them in the household waste, not on the compost heap.
• Aphids: On young shoots and flowers in spring. Hose them off with water; ladybirds help too.
• Rotting: The base rots in wet, heavy soil. Plant it in a well-drained spot.
• Short life: A plant often lives only a few years. Leave a few seedlings to replace it.

Through the year

• January: Flower buds become visible.
• February: Flowering begins. First bumblebees visit.
• March: In flower. Plant. Cut off brown leaves.
• April: End of flowering. Plant.
• May: Cut off spent stems if you do not want seedlings.
• June: Seed ripens. Cut off old stems, or collect the seed and sow it at once.
• July: Water young plants in dry spells.
• September: Plant. Move seedlings.
• October: Plant. Leaf mould around the base.
• December: Evergreen leaves. The new flower stems are growing.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of hellebores and Christmas roses are poisonous, to pets too; the sap can irritate the skin. Wear gloves when cutting off old leaves or dividing the plant, and do not eat any of it. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Researchers found that yeasts in the nectar break down sugars and release heat in the process: the flowers are therefore slightly warmer than the surrounding air.
• The seeds carry an oily appendage that attracts ants. They carry the seeds to their nest and so spread the plant.
• A stem makes only leaves in its first year and flowers in its second; after that it dies.