Garden Dilemma - Part 7

Welcome to the fourth in our new series where Head Gardener Åsa and Head of Horticulture Steve share their expert advice on tackling your gardening and garden design dilemmas.

'I have a lovely dark/black hellebore which gets lost in the shade of an apple tree, even in winter.  I'm looking for suggestions for companion planting to set it off in spring,  that would also be happy under the apple tree, in deep shade once the tree is in leaf.  I'm in Shropshire, not at High elevation.'

-Jenny 

A black hellebore is one of those plants that deserves a little staging. Against dark winter soil and the shadow beneath an apple tree, the flowers can disappear unless there's something to catch the eye alongside them.

The good news is that the conditions you've described are ideal for many woodland plants. Under a deciduous apple tree there's plenty of light from late winter into early spring, followed by cool shade through summer, which is exactly what many spring flowering plants enjoy.

I'd think about creating contrast in both colour and leaf shape.

For late winter and early spring, white flowers colour are the perfect foil for near-black hellebores:

• Snowdrops (galanthus) drifting through the clump.
• Cyclamen coum 
• Anemone nemorosa
• Narcissus 'Thalia' or other elegant white daffodils if there's enough light.

Snowdrops

Anemone nemorosa

Silver and variegated foliage also makes dark flowers stand out beautifully:

• Brunnera 'Jack Frost' or 'Alexanders Great’ – fabulous heart-shaped leaves that brighten deep shade.
• Pulmonaria silver-leaved cultivars flowering early with foliage remaining attractive all season.

Then, as the apple comes into leaf, you could rely on foliage to carry the display:

• Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass) to soften the planting.
• Epimedium for elegant spring flowers and excellent ground cover.
• Geranium phaeum 'Album' if you like a more natural look.
• Pachyphragma macrophyllum carpets of large green leaves
• Evergreen ferns such as polystichum for texture throughout the year.

Brunnera 'Alexanders Great’

Pulmonaria

Hakonechloa macra

Geranium phaeum 'Album'

One final thought: if your hellebore is tucked right against the trunk of the apple tree, it may simply be too shaded and dry. Even moving it a metre or so out towards the drip line of the tree, where it still enjoys summer shade but gets more winter light, can make a remarkable difference to how well the flowers show and how vigorously the plant grows.

It sounds like a lovely spot, and with a few carefully chosen companions you could turn it into a beautiful little woodland scene that peaks just when the rest of the garden is beginning to wake up.

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Head of Horticulture Steve