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Can anyone tell me what this is please?

(21 Posts)
gillybob Sun 21-Apr-19 09:52:28

We bought a large ( heavily reduced ) pot filled with almost dead stuff at a garden centre last winter . The pot retailed at £70 but we got it for £20 so couldn’t resist . I decided not to empty it out but to give whatever was in it a chance to show themselves and this is what we have . I thought it might be Hellebores but have looked at photos and now not so sure . It is a bit in the shade and a sort of washed out pink . Any ideas ?

nanasam Sun 21-Apr-19 10:00:40

Looks like a hellebore (lenten rose) to me.

gillybob Sun 21-Apr-19 10:03:46

Thank you nanasam There seems to be 2-3 separate plants in the pot. I wonder if I should move it into the sun or leave it where it is ?

Lisagran Sun 21-Apr-19 10:04:07

“Snow Melt” Hellebore?

Lisagran Sun 21-Apr-19 10:04:32

Hellebores quite like shade

dragonfly46 Sun 21-Apr-19 10:07:27

My hellebores like the shade.

MaizieD Sun 21-Apr-19 10:10:50

Looks like a hellebore to me, too. At that original price for it and the pot it's probably a priceless named varietywink. (Is that what you've identified it as, Lisagran?) Though it looks a bit strange to me with those widely separated petals. It's got nice foliage.

Hellebores are fine in shade.

gillybob Sun 21-Apr-19 10:12:19

Thank you everyone . I’ve just watched a short video clip about them and it does seem that they like the shade . Mine is in a large pot under a bay tree and I wondered if the shade was the reason for the washed out colour but it seems not .

midgey Sun 21-Apr-19 10:23:20

Some people like washed out colours....oops delicate hues! I am with you ..faded!

HildaW Sun 21-Apr-19 11:06:24

Think I remember reading that Hellebores are notorious for interbreeding. There are some with very definite colours but as they cross breed the colours become more muddied. We had some in last garden and they are one of the earliest to come out so always welcome even if a bit 'muddy'.

gillybob Sun 21-Apr-19 11:27:10

Yes HildaW this interbreeding is mentioned on the video I watched earlier . I wonder if this is their right colour or could I do something to improve them? The leaves seem extra sharp too.

PamelaJ1 Sun 21-Apr-19 11:48:14

Looks like a hellebore to me too.
I’ve got some babies growing in pots and am looking forward to seeing the flowers. I’m not expecting too much but one can live in hope.

MaizieD Sun 21-Apr-19 13:41:07

It's not so much that the colour is 'faded' (and I have loads of faded, interbred ones in my garden) as the very open arrangement of the petals and the fact that they are turned upwards, whereas common or garden hellebores usually look down and have 'cup' flowers' rather than 'stars'. That's what makes me think it might be a named variety. I do like the foliage, dark and indented.

toscalily Sun 21-Apr-19 14:09:27

The pictures on this site are really clear so you may be able to spot yours. If you scroll over the pictures it gives the names too.

pixabay.com/images/search/hellebore/

Greyduster Sun 21-Apr-19 14:41:45

It’s definitely a hellebore, but it looks like a single flowering orientalis which has gone over, which they will at this time of the year and their colour fades out. All mine are double flowered so I have nothing to compare it with. It should do okay next year. They need very little attention, but left to themselves they will spread all over the place. I love ‘em!

Gonegirl Sun 21-Apr-19 18:15:12

It's a particularly pretty hellebore. They do like the shade, and they are practically un-killable. Good buy. I'm quite envy

sarahellenwhitney Mon 22-Apr-19 12:17:16

Why not have asked the garden centre ?

Doversole Mon 22-Apr-19 12:27:50

Looks like a hellebore to me

Pat1949 Mon 22-Apr-19 15:34:15

I've got an app called PlantSnap and it suggests that it is a Lenten Rose.

GreenGran78 Mon 22-Apr-19 17:16:51

I love buying from the 'bargain corner' and rescuing poor half-dead plants. My best-buy was a tangled, straggly, wilted-looking specimen of a rambler rose. I planted it, disentangled it (with difficulty) and gave it lots of tlc. It rewarded me by covering an arbour with masses of glorious, tiny cream blossoms, which last all summer. It is so vigorous that I have to keep pruning bits off it, to stop it attacking passers-by, but it doesn't mind in the slightest and just keeps on growing.
My £2 was certainly well-spent!

4allweknow Mon 22-Apr-19 20:32:09

Love it, a real bargain at the price with the pot. My best bargain at a garden centre was a camelia that looked dead - £5.00. Three years later I now have a beautiful 6' high pink camelia spread about 4' on a trellis. Amazing what tlc will do to plants.