Helleborus Foetidus

Step behind the noticeboard at the Thompson Road gates to see a lovely large swathe of evergreen Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore, or bear’s foot hellebore). The dark green leaves in rosettes of up to ten leaflets clothe the stout stems which unfold slowly into a head of many sprays of palest green flowers. 70cm high, these persist for many weeks, shining out on gloomy February days. The species name, foetidus, refers to the plant’s bad odour, but this is only produced when crushed. ‘Hellebore’ is thought to derive from the Greek words helein, ‘to injure’, and bora ‘food’ referring to the plant’s toxicity (to humans, cats and dogs).

H. foetidus is native from the south of England and Wales to Germany, Italy and Portugal but is rarely seen in the wild in the UK. It holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit.