Hellebore

Hellebores are the winter garden's most valuable plant — nodding flowers in cream, dusky pink, deep plum, slate, and near-black that bloom from late winter through early spring when almost nothing else is alive. They are perennial, evergreen, deer-resistant, and once established require very little attention. The Lenten rose (H. orientalis and its hybrids) is the most garden-worthy and widely available.

As cut flowers, hellebores have a reputation for wilting quickly, which can be avoided: cut the stem, sear in boiling water for 20–30 seconds, then plunge into cold water for several hours. Alternatively, cut when the flower is fully open and beginning to form seeds — at this stage the stems are woody and last much better. The nodding habit is part of the charm; display them where the flowers can be seen from below.