Rarely offered for sale as seed! This exquisite Helleborus produces clumps of robust, leathery foliage along with many large blooms, flushed in shades of purple, pink and even slate grey!

Sow any time of year in a 7.5cm (3in) pot of seed compost or a free draining peat/sand mix. Sow the seed on the surface of the compost and cover with a little well rotted leaf mould or fine peat. Cover the pot with glass and place in a coldframe or sheltered position with the pot sunk up to its rim in soil. Germination is very slow and can take up to 18 months.

Prick out into individual pots when their seedlings are large enough to handle, grow on for a season and plant out the following autumn or spring in a rich, moist well drained soil and part shade.

Plants take 3-4 years to commence flowering.