Hellebores.

[viques]

Just braved the rain and wind to pick a few so I can believe spring is on the way!

Oh beautiful! Do you know what varieties they are? I love the papery-looking pink and green ones especially.

I'm going to treat myself to some Harvington speckled ones when I get paid.

I don’t know the varieties, sorry. I haunt garden centres at the end of the season and buy them cheap, so often the names are missing. I did buy the double pink as a treat to myself, but can’t find a label.

Lovely!

I love hellebores, yours are so pretty. Last summer I found a clump of seedings at the edge of the lawn. They’re all potted up waiting to be big enough to be replanted.

That’s exciting Beebumble, mine seeded well last year, I potted up and gave a lot of seedlings away because there were too many to grow on and am hoping the ones I kept turn out to be interesting. During the first lockdown summer I moved most of them into the same bed so I am hoping they ignored social distancing and mingled.

Love hellebores - one of my favourite genus of plants!! Wonderful to see the flowers in spring giving a lift despite all the horrid weather!

They're lovely. Ours haven't reappeared this year which I am a bit said about.

Oh they are beautiful!

I've got loads of them, mainly deep purple, cream, and some cream with pink/purple speckles.

The only thing is their heads point down so you don't really see them, your display is lovely, I might be inspired to pick some tomorrow!

A botanical side note for those that don’t know. The flowers are the tiny bits in the centre, the coloured bits aren’t petals, they’re sepals, which is why they’re so long lasting, even when the flowers have developed into seed pods.

A lot of plants get the same effect either with sepals or with bracts, which are modified leaves rather than sepals -some Cornus, Hydrangea, Euphorbia, some Viburnum for example.

Those are beautiful! They bring so much joy this time of year when everything is so grey.

Mine have put on a fabulous show this year. Considering most were only planted last year and I have a tiny garden.

I’ve heard there are black ones, so I’m going to look to plant one or two of them this year - any recommendations?

Ah hellebores.

We built a new raised bed last year in a shady corner by the kitchen window then gathered all our hellebores together.

Lots of organic additions to the soil and they have bloomed splendidly since November - still ongoing as the Christmas varieties are now handing over to the Lenton.

Such a joy to see outside the window when the world has been so dark and grey.