By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

I went to a Skagit Gardens open house in Northwestern Washington a couple of weeks ago to check out new plants for 2010. I saw much that I really loved, but to my complete surprise, the plants that pleased me most were the hellebores. These near-perfect, heavy-blooming evergreen perennials really give the winter landscape life; every garden should have a few. There are so many species and varieties on the market now, I wondered why breeders should be working on more. Scroll through the following pictures and when you get to the bottom I'll tell you.

Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper' 

Helleborus x nigercors 'Green Corsican'

 Helleborus x ballardiae 'Pink Frost'

Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Silvermoon' 

What's special about these is that the flowers look out at you—even up at you in some cases—and not down, as do so many other hellebores (probably so they won't get a face full of winter rain in the wild). Look for outward-facing hellebores when you buy them in flower. Many varieties are featured in nurseries right now, while others go out on sale tables in November and December.

Other news on the hellebore front is that Skagit will probably be selling some varieties (such as 'Josef Lemper', at top) as Christmas plants next winter. They bloom then anyway, can tolerate indoor conditions for a couple of weeks, and can be moved into the garden when the holidays are over. Poinsettias, look out!