Hellebores

A Comprehensive Guide

A mere 10 years ago, hellebores were considered connoisseurs' plants — subdued in coloration, hard to find, and the subject of much snobbery. Today, however, they are among the hottest perennials, thanks to their early bloom, long-lasting flowers, shade tolerance, handsome foliage, and the profusion of new colors and forms that have recently become available. Authors Cole Burrell and Judith Tyler have produced what is arguably the definitive book on this genus, packed with up-to-the-minute, comprehensive information on growing, maintenance, design, hybridization and selection, and trouble-shooting. This lavishly illustrated volume will interest hellebore lovers at every level of interest.

Media reviews of this book:

"[Burrell and Tyler] have produced what is most likely the most complete work on the subject."

—John Bagnasco, Garden Compass, September/October 2006

"The allure of the Christmas rose and the remarkable availability of the Lenten rose have heightened the rising popularity of these treasured perennials. Co-authors Colston Burrell and Judith Knott Tyler capture all of this and bring to light many of the new seed strains and hybrids in this monograph on the Helleborus genus."

—Richie Steffen, American Gardener, September 2006

"It would be hard to imagine anyone writing another book about hellebores for at least a decade to come — this volume is so complete."

—Molly Day, All the Dirt on Gardening, February 2, 2008

"With outstanding photographs of wild species and prized hybrids, ... with sources for hellebores, with appendices on medicine, black death, nutrient study, and cut flowers, this book is at the top of any list of monographic presentations."

—Peter Kendall, American Rhododendron Society Journal, Summer 2007

"Comprehensive in its treatment of the various hellebore species and their cultivation, and ... complete in its descriptions without being so dense with taxonomic jargon as to leave regular gardeners — folks without botanical training — baffled."

—Linda Beutler, Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Bulletin, June 2007

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An excerpt from this book:

Who could fail to be smitten with hellebores? Anyone with an appreciation of beauty is quickly seduced. Hellebores seem to cast a spell from which you never awaken. Is it the flowers? They lack cloying fragrance to draw you in. Many are small and subtly colored. Even the most colorful fall short of riveting or festive. What can it be? Their precocious nature is part of their allure, but what makes them so much more than alluring? For many, hellebores are an obsession. What other flower, save for cousin Adonis, punches through the ground with flowers open while frost and snow surround them? Like most early bloomers, Adonis is fleeting ...

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