Pity those people who don’t get a Valentine’s card. Age is no excuse. It’s unlikely but, should I be in your amorous thoughts on 14th February, no red roses please. These flowers are not exactly abundant in British gardens at this time of the year and, anyway, who wants expensive, unseasonal, scentless blooms flown in from several thousand miles away? (You could, however, send them on 6th July, when the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the venerated San Valentino and homegrown roses are plentiful.) Helleborus orientalis and H x hybridus. Although native to Greece and Turkey, they’ve been in our island gardens long enough to avoid that controversial probe ‘Where are you really from?’ If you do want to know a garden plant’s true origin, try Toby Musgrave and Chris Gardner’s revealing new book, Wild Edens. Since their peak of popularity several decades ago, and thanks to their ease of propagation...
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