Helleborus 'Janet Starnes'
Helleborus 'Janet Starnes' $11.95- common names: hellebore
- flowering season: early spring; the flowers persist for some months before the seeds fall from the flowers in midsummer
- height: 10 to 18 inches
- Light requirements: grows well in full sun although it would prefer filtered light or afternoon shade
- Soil requirements: average, well drained
- Water requirments: average
- Growth habit: grows as an expanding clump
- How to propagate: from seeds (the seedlings will be variegated) or by dividing
- Leaf type: leaves are divided into three leaflets and have softly pointed margins
- Ways to use it: in milder climates the leaves are evergreen and are enjoyed at all seasons of the year; a plant looks especially attractive in spring with its flowers and new foliage
- Special characteristics: an older plant will withstand quite a lot of neglect and drought
Named by Phillip Curtis Farms (a wholesale nursery no longer in business) for plantswoman Janet Starnes of Molalla, Oregon, who found the original in a batch of seedlings. To quote their 1999 wholesale catalog, "shining blue-green leaves are dusted with galaxies of white and dark green stars. New leaves, almost cream colored, are fringed with pink; older leaves darken to a marbled green. Clouds of soft green flowers in early sping. Named for the Janet Starnes." Blooms on the previous year's growth. The flowers are showy, but the main attraction is the unusual foliage. Some gardeners cut off the flowers at the ground in early spring to allow a better view of the creamy colored new growth. Cold hardy to -10°F.