Peek into the future this winter with new varieties from Creek Hill Nursery, formally announced at the January MANTS trade show in Baltimore, Maryland. Available for shipping this spring, these crops can be ordered through your favorite broker, via the Creek Hill shopping cart, or directly by email or phone. Below are a few highlights from this year’s collection.
HELLEBORUS SOUTHERN BELLE MIX: A treat for very early spring blooms. We are excited about this mix from Pine Knot Nursery, experts in Hellebore breeding. Double Hellebores are not seen very often, and this mix offers a wide range. Colors go from pure white to deep purple, with petals that have ruffled spaces to slender lances; patterns run from solids to brushed tips to freckled along the interior. The degree of doubling isn’t predictable among Hellebores—some are lightly doubled and some are heavily doubled.
ECHINACEA ‘PRETTY PARASOLS’: A European innovation, ‘Pretty Parasols’ has pink staining on the extra-long white petals that surround the cone. This interesting cultivar has a pallida-like habit: the flower opens flat, then the petals drape under the eye as the flower ages. It’s a taller variety at about 48 inches.