Winter ICONS

Welcome in the new year with a starry show of hellebores

- CHRIS MORLEY

Star power

Like Hollywood actors of old, hellebores are quietly tough and exceedingly handsome, producing swoon-worthy, sophisticated blooms from December to April. Unlike movie stars, though, they are undemanding souls, unbothered by frost, snow and damp. Team them with other woodland tribes, like ferns, epimedium and Solomon's seal, and a chorus of snowdrops, aconites and daffodils for the ultimate feelgood winter show.

Hero pots

Hellebores make sublime pot displays, offering a cornucopia of shades from pastel and moody hues to jewel brights. They do best in deep pots, where their large roots can spread, and in nutrient-rich compost like peat-free John Innes no 2.