Pippa's Purple is a hellebore that blooms while the garden sleeps, opening smoky purple-pink flowers from late winter into spring above bold, marbled foliage that stays handsome long after the blooms fade. The flowers face outward more than old-fashioned hellebores, so you actually see them.

Plant it in shade to part shade under deciduous trees, in soil enriched with leaf mold or compost. It is drought tolerant in summer shade once established, and deer never touch it. Trim tired leaves in January so the flowers take the stage clean.