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| Helleborus argutifolius - 7 March 2024 |
No day happens since my Rosemary died on December 8 2020 that I do not think of her or I am reminded of her.
With the garden giving me indication that it is about to wake up for spring I see her on her knees cleaning it all up. Important, too, I notice some of her plants from a few years ago that I had forgotten about and somehow did not make it.
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| Helleborus argutifolius & Helleborus x nigercors 'Honeyhill Joy' 7 March 2024 |
In our Kerrisdale garden we had plants that simply could not
move to our smaller garden. But there was on plant that Rosemary adored that
she simply called the Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius). Rosemary
did not like bright coloured flowers. She appreciated the light,
yellow/green/white sober tones of this hellebore. When that plant came to my
memory one evening in bed I knew what I had to do. I went to Phoenix Perennials in Richmond. They stock the
best variety of hellebores in the Lower Mainland. When I arrived, I asked to
pleasant women who were surrounded by hundreds of hellebores, if they had any
Corsicans. They pointed at some. I then noticed some more elaborate versions
which happened to be of sport of a different species called Helleborus x
nigercors ‘Honeyhill Joy’. I bought it, too.
I like going to Phoenix Perennials, owner Gary Lewis is friendly and (important) has lots of botanical knowledge. They have lots of new hosta cultivars (perhaps in a month ) and small, not aggressive clematis. Rosemary and I discovered that for our many roses in large pots on our deck, these smaller clematis worked nicely with roses and did not compete for nutrients.
As for these hellebores in their pots I look at them and it is no different from looking at my smiling Rosemary.
I will plant them, and in my head, St. Luke’s
citation from the gospel, “Do this in remembrance of me," will there.
Napoleon and Corsican hellebores came from the same island.
Phoenix Perennials 3380 No. 6 Road, Richmond, BC 604 - 270-4133
