Hellebores
Commonly called hellebores, the genus Helleborus consists of over 20 evergreen, perennial, flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They originated in Europe and Asia, with a concentration of species found in the Balkan region.
Hellebores are widely grown in local gardens, valued for their late winter to early spring blooms. The flowers have five petal-like sepals surrounding a ring of small, cup-like petals modified to hold nectar. The sepals do not fall as petals normally would but often remain on the plant for several months. Colors range from green, white, pink, or red to purple. They can be found in clusters of various sizes and colors throughout the Rhododendron Garden in Hendricks Park.
Now is the time to start visiting the park every week or so to watch the changes as Spring arrives. Now you can see many plump buds on the rhododendrons, just waiting to bloom.
Pink Hellebores with Snow Drops, another early bloomer in the Park.
