I know it's the new year, but the Christmas rose so often flowers a little bit later than the festive season, that I thought I'd highlight it now.

This wonderful perennial which grows around 1.5ft (45cm) high and 12in (30cm) wide thrives in a sheltered spot in light shade with humus-rich soil and needs protection from slugs and snails. Of course, you want to be able to see it so it is well placed at the front of a shrub border protected by nearby evergreens.

H. niger produces large, white saucer-shaped blooms, but you can also obtain different varieties of helleborus in shades of pink or purple, depending on the flowering time which can be as late as spring. The leaves provide good ground cover and the largest blooms are borne by Potter's Wheel.