March 12, 2010, Richmond, B.C. – Phoenix Perennials recently welcomed hundreds of gardening enthusiasts to its sixth annual Hellebore Hurrah(!) Opening Weekend. Featured was one of the largest selections of hellebores in North America. This year, the nursery will offer over 90 different species, strains and cultivars sourced from some of the best breeders in North America and around the world.

Lenten rose, Helleborus x hybridus begins to bloom in British Columbian gardens in February, and continues blooming for at least two to three months. PHOTO COURTESY PHOENIX PERENNIALS

“Many of our regulars now call the Hellebore Hurrah(!) the official start of spring in Vancouver,” said owner Gary Lewis. “Visitors came from all around the Lower Mainland, from Victoria, Nanaimo and elsewhere on Vancouver Island, from the Sunshine Coast, and even the Okanagan.”

Visitors included hard core enthusiasts who lined up each morning before opening, to families out to do a little gardening with the kids, “to curious people wondering what a hellebore is. Everyone has a great time marveling at the beauty and diversity of this early spring blooming plant.”

Hellebores, or Helleborus, is the first major group of perennials to put on a colourful display in the garden in early spring. Hellebores are a member of the buttercup family. The wild species hails from southern and Mediterranean Europe. In the last 10-15 years, this genus has become one of the most popular groups of perennial plants for the garden. Hellebores have inspired legions of fans and collectors but are also extremely useful for the average gardener and homeowner. Once their flowering is complete, they produce an attractive evergreen mound of foliage that is also quite attractive.

Hellebores are easy to grow and are great plants for every level of gardener. They are tolerant of shade but do best in part shade to part sun. They are hardy to Zone 5, which means they can be grown in many parts of British Columbia, southern Ontario and Québec, and the Maritimes.

Phoenix Perennials produces a Hellebore Hurrah(!) catalogue each year that includes information on hellebores and their cultivation, the breeders whose hellebores we’ll be offering plus descriptions and images of most of the plants that will be at the Hurrah! The catalogue can be downloaded from www.phoenixperennials.com.