Hellebores are all excellent garden plants, ranging from the small Christmas rose (H. niger) up to some substantial herbaceous perennials, and flowering from mid winter (a highly prized virtue) through spring. Even after the flowers are over, many of them have persistent lime green calyces, which will happily pass for flowers. The tough, leathery leaves persist all year, but it is a good idea to cut them back just before the new ones emerge, so that their beauty can be enjoyed without distraction. Add humus to the soil in autumn.

Helleborus xhybridus 'Blue Metallic Lady' has large, single flowers in shades of deep purple-blue with a metallic sheen to them. Likes to be in a sheltered position and the soil needs to be kept moist in summer.