Winter wandering: Hellebore and Epimedium in Switzerland

Posted February 22, 2012 by Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator & Director of Outreach

Helleborus foetidus blooming last weekend in Munchenstein, Switzerland

Not many people would choose February to go plant hunting in Switzerland, and truth be said, I was in Europe to speak at a conference in Germany and added some time to visit friends in Basel.  Air fares in fall and late winter to Europe are often extremely reasonable: I have to say that the visit was far more productive with regard to plants than I expected. Two in particular were “red letter” finds for me. I have seen several Helleborus viridis in early April once near Epsom Downs in England, and Helleborus cyclophyllus on Mt. Parnassus in Greece, but this was my first encounter with Helleborus foetidus blooming in the wild. There was quite a large patch, actually, in the thick woods of the Jura Alps in Munchenstein, a suburb of Basel where I was visiting old friends.

Seedlings of Helleborus foetidus in Munchenstein, Switzerland.

How tempting it would be to tease out one or two of these seedlings on the slope: they surely will not all survive to maturity …I have grown this plant for nearly forty years: finding plants you have grown and loved in the wild is one of the greatest inspirations for travel, in my book! I always feel pity for people who wander around the globe visiting only cities and human constructs. How much richer a trip is for us plant enthusiasts! I could hardly look in any direction without finding unfamiliar plants or plants that rarely are found in Denver.