The poisonous North American false hellebore is a curiosity
plant. It produces its 3ft spikes of lime-green flowers in summer, above broad pleated leaves. Christopher Lloyd
suggested backing them with purple foliage such as smoke bush (Cotinus) to show them off, which is a good idea as
they can be easily missed amid the garden's greenery. As you can see from these photos, I have failed to take his advice.
It grows easily in moist, fertile soil in part shade, but is slow to develop and you need to be patient. Z3