Laetitia Maklouf

Helleborus x hybridus has been deeply fashionable for many years now, and it’s easy to see why.

They flower for months and their leaves re evergreen and they have downward-facing flowers in wonderfully sumptuous, bruised shades. These amazing colour permutations are the rust of human hybridisation, (hence the ‘x’ in the name). When I was new to gardening, and having to fit all my plants not containers on my balcony, I bought one and planted it in a hanging basket, so that I could get a good view of those nodding blooms from below. Had I read anything about hellebores before I committed this act of hanging basketry (tales of picture shade and richness-loving), I would never have attempted it, but as with many things in gardening, the plants themselves prove time and time again many of them don’t bother reading the rule books. Indeed this hellebore just kept on flowering year after year and I now regularly put hellebores in hanging baskets and suspend them from the branches of my apple tree.

You will need:

1 Helleborus x hybridus plant (max height and spread should be around 45cm)

1 hanging basket - the larger the better

Compost - I use peat-free multi-purpose, and mix it up with a few trowel-fulls of soil from my garden.

Water-retaining granules

Fertiliser granules

An empty pot

Method

First water ou hellebore thoroughly in its pot so that the roots get saturated. Make sure that the lining of your hanging basket has holes in it (some don’t). If not, then cut some by making a few nicks in the plastic with scissors.

Next, mix the compost with your water-retaining granules and fertiliser (see the packet for quantities). Balance your basket on an empty pt and fill it to 10cm shy of the rim before you water the whole thing. This pre-watering will give the water-retaining granules a chance to expand before you plant anything.

Now remove your plant fro its pot, rubbing the roots gently to let them now its okay to spread out, and plant it firmly in the basket, adding more compost if you need to , but leaving a good couple of centimetres between the top of the compost and the rim of the basket for watering purposes.

Water the whole thing again, and then hang it up!

You can pick the blooms and float them in bowls for the perfect winter table.

x Laetitia

I’m planning a much more pared down look for my terrace this year, leaving me free from any deadheading so that I can concentrate on the wider garden. Here are a few images that are inspiring me right now. All of these planting combinations are predominately green and (as with most things in life) it is TEXTURE that creates the magic. That means a really healthy mix of big fat leaves, or leathery, shiny surfaces in with all the delicate, small foliage. There is also a healthy dose of height; there is nothing nicer than feeling enclosed and cosy within an outdoor space…remember that urge when you were a child? That’s why we all threw fabric over things and crawled beneath…we wanted to feel as if we were in a secret, womb-like space. It’s harder to do that outside than in, but as you can see here, you can use structures that plants can clamber up, or hooks to hang baskets from, and obviously trees for their canopy. Ferns are also a must. See my post on my favourite evergreen ferns for containers here.

Softened lines are also a key element here. Lots of creeping plants (soleirolia, thyme, etc have been used to populate the cracks between paving stones. Seating is also crucial (and deserves a post of its own really) but the pink sofa really adds to the cosy feel; and a comfortable place to sit (whether or not you actually have time to sit in it) is crucial.

I’m going to see if I can’t channel some of this vibe over the coming year, and I’ll be clipping, training and adding a couple of key elements to achieve this. Watch this space!

x Laetitia