Hellebores

Description

"Hellebores come close to being the perfect perennial. With their early, long-lasting, exquisitely shaped and colored flowers, handsome, often evergreen foliage, hardiness, durability, and tolerance of shade, they offer almost every quality a gardener could wish for. In the last few years, a profusion of new hybrids - including double-flowered forms and fascinating interspecific crosses - has added to their appeal, catapulting them to superstar status within the gardening world."

"Authors C. Colston Burrell and Judith Knott Tyler have produced what is arguably the definitive book on this group of dazzling plants, packed with up-to-the-minute information on growing, maintenance, design, hybridization and selection, and trouble-shooting. The book also features the latest information on the classification of this sometimes confusing genus, along with well-researched chapters on the history of hellebores in cultivation. Among the book's most enjoyable features are the numerous profiles of hybridizers and nursery owners who have contributed to the development of today's selections. Those interested in the more technical or commercial aspects of growing hellebores will find an abundance of information in the appendices."

"The photographs cover not only the popular, colorful hybrids, but also show every known hellebore species, including many shots of plants in the wild. Readers who would like to produce their own hybrids will be aided by helpful, step-by-step photos showing the process of pollination and seed retrieval. Gardeners at every level of skill and experience, as well as professional growers and serious devotees, will find information tailored to their needs in this authoritative, accessible volume."--Jacket.