Helleborus Pippa's Purple

Helleborus Pippa’s Purple is an evergreen herbaceous perennial hellebore producing attractive dark green leaves with silvery veins and marbling that intensifies in colour in spring and early summer, creating ornamental ground cover. From mid-winter to mid-spring it bears a profusion of large, pinkish-purple flowers with a creamy-white and pink centre. Pippa’s Purple is one of the Rodney Davey Marbled Group hellebores.

Position: Thrives in a sunny position or a sheltered position in semi shade in neutral to alkaline soils that are moist but well drained in winter, fertile and humus-rich.

Planting: Water thoroughly or stand the pot in a bucket of water for half an hour before planting. Dig a hole twice the size of the pot, mix compost and fertiliser with the soil from the hole, remove the pot, place the plant in the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil, back fill with the soil/compost mix and firm down to prevent air pockets. Water well after planting and during dry spells during the first growing season. It is also perfect for bringing lots of spring cheer when grown in containers of good compost.

Aftercare: Water during prolonged dry periods, whenever the soil dries out. Mulch around the base of the plant in autumn with a thick layer of organic material. This keeps in moisture, prevents weeds and adds nutrients to the soil.

Feeding: Feed in spring after flowering with a granular fertiliser.

Dead heading: Remove spent flowers and developing seed heads after flowering to encourage new growth.

Pruning: Remove faded, old, damaged or diseased leaves as the flowers appear and whenever they appear.