Hellebores

I got a 'Spanish Flare' hellebore as a free bonus in a Bluestone Perennials order last year and ordered a second. I didn't know what to expect or what to do with them other than providing a shady spot, so I planted them at the back of the potting bench curve where it is shadiest in summer.

They want shade in summer, but good winter sunshine. Sources say they are drought tolerant but here that means I have to keep them irrigated. Both are next to an emitter. 

It's hard to find a picture of the plant -- most images are extreme close ups of a single flower. The few images of the 'Spanish Flare' plant that I could find show a lovely little plant with sweet flowers, just a single upright clump.

Mine have not bloomed yet (hellebores take two to three years to bloom, and in this climate likely longer) and the plants are still small but the winter foliage is a nice green. The first summer planted they crisped pretty badly but now both look good. Here they were in January:

I'll have to wait a season or two to see what they will look like full-grown, whether they'll survive without crisping in summer, and whether they will even bloom well. 

But they're in a spot I never see. The redtwig dogwood will eventually grow too large in front of them, although the winter combination of bare red stems and rich green hellebore foliage behind will be nice. 

The back edge of the potting bench curve is just not a part of the garden anyone really sees. 

I'm transitioning it to a more open space with just redtwig dogwoods for filler and Biokovo geraniums for ground cover. 

Here's an example of a naturalistic swath of hellebores in winter wandering through a rock bordered area. 

That might be nicer than just having a clump or two. 

If I add several more under the aspens, in winter an evergreen ribbon of foliage might add groundcover interest, especially mingled with the semi-evergreen geraniums.

So I thought about ordering more 'Spanish Flare' hellebores to the two existing. But I'll wait.

I'll see how the two plants I have perform, especially in summer, and I may want to keep that section of shady back garden under the aspens more open and shrubby.