Veratrum nigrum

Veratrum nigrum, also called Black Hellebore or false Hellebore, is an astonishing, rare plant, native to the mountains of Southern Europe and Asia. This majestic perennial has ovate and pleated foliage similar to hostas, while its dark and branching high candles in summer are like mulleins or rhubarbs. Its small star-shaped flowers are very dark, a brown-purple violet, almost black depending on the light. It is simply beautiful and also hardy, robust, and fairly easy to grow in humus-rich and moist soil, in partial shade or dappled sunlight.

Veratrum nigrum belongs to the melanthiaceae family and is a cousin of trilliums. Black hellebore is a perennial herbaceous plant that forms a strong crown anchored on an underground rootstock. The plant will easily reach 1.40 m (5ft) in flower, even more in fertile soil, but it grows slowly, only reaching its final size after 25 years. It produces a basal rosette of large ovate and entire leaves, up to 30 cm (12in) long, in spring. They are light green and slightly shiny with very pronounced parallel veins. It flowers for around a month in summer, from June to August depending on the climate. Robust floral stems with sheathing leaves emerge from the rosette and produce large, branching inflorescences of star-shaped flowers with 6 very dark petals, in a mix of red, brown, and violet. They are tightly packed together and curiously fragrant. The whole plant contains toxic alkaloids in its tissues.

Black hellebore is a robust and original perennial of high mountains and open and cool spaces. Natural scenes in wilder areas of the garden will be transformed by its presence. It tolerates light shade well and its flowers will last longer and be more colourful. Plant it with shade-loving plants like Actaea simplex Brunette or tiarellas. Plants with lighter foliage like Acanthus Whitewater or Phalaris Picta, will highlight the flowers. In a mountain garden, it can be grouped with aconites and purple foxgloves, wild chicory, or the wonderful purple fennel. It can be grown in a pot, but it will need to be very large to accommodate its roots.