Each time I have been in the woodland lately, I have been concentrating on the snowdrops and hadn’t realised that the hellebores are later flowering than usual, probably due to the cold spell that we had recently. As I went into the garden today to photograph the hellebores, I promised myself that I wouldn’t take any photos of snowdrops, just hellebores this time, did I succeed ?
This double hellebore is very pretty, dark pink on the outside and pale pink inside.
I think the anemone centred ones are my favourite.
Another anemone centred one.
New last year is Hellebore Neon Star.
Well I couldn’t leave without taking just one could I !
There are so many different sorts of hellebore, each one has its own special charm and they do provide such welcome colour on a cold February day. Are you able to enjoy your hellebores or are you still covered in snow?
What a beautiful variety of Hellebores you have. I love the Anemone-centered ones too. There are so many pretty ones, with all those spots and picotees and frills. I was at a nursery just yesterday looking for a specific one, which they didn’t have, but they had so many others I almost changed my plans.
Thanks Alison, there are so many pretty ones, when I go to chose one, I’m spoilt for choice. It’s very difficult to choose just one, I usually come away with 2 or 3!
You have a wonderful selection of colours and forms Pauline; I really can understand the need to have as many different Hellebores as possible, so far I can’t say the same about the snowdrops!
I’m sure that if you lived in this country Christina you would be smitten by the snowdrop virus!
Gorgeous. They look so good with the snowdrops too, especially the darker ones.
I went overboard buying dark ones, when I first started buying hellebores Jessica, but soon found that they didn’t show up very well unless surrounded by snowdrops
Oh your woodland looks so beautiful Pauline. I have decided to buy one new hellebore each year so will be off to shop next week, taking notes from here. x Rosemarie
Thanks Rosemarie, I dragged the Undergardener to the woodland the other day as he hadn’t been there for weeks and he admitted that it was all looking rather nice! Buying one new one each year is a good way to build up your numbers, that’s how I started.
You’ve a fair selection there Pauline, all very pretty too. Hellebores are a bit behind here too and I think you are right, the recent cold snap has set them back a bit.
I just knew you would not be able to resist 🙂
They are definitely later than last year Angie, I’m just glad that they are now flowering, adding colour to the mass of white that I have.
You know me too well !
Hi Pauline,
Most of my ‘fancy’ Hellebores are still teasing me, keeping me waiting to see their blooms. But hopefully I won’t have to wait much longer. This year we’re definitely behind last year – but then, last spring was very early and I remember worrying about how the plants would fair through summer because they were blooming far too early.
In general I think I love the pink types and am not too picky over whether they’re double or single. I did love the dark purple/reds but since buying some, I don’t know… They just don’t seem that impressive to me any more. Although that isn’t to say I’d ever get rid!
9th March last year I had Peacock butterflies visiting! So fingers crossed we see a huge change in the temperatures soon. I think the highest so far this year here has been 12 or 13.
Some of mine have still to send up their flowering stems Liz, they are still hunkered down keeping warm. I agree about the dark ones, they really need something light to set them off, otherwise they blend into the soil and can’t be seen.
How amazing to have had a butterfly on March 9th last year, I don’t think I’ve seen one so soon.
Oh you lucky you! How beautiful are your Helleborus, in my garden they are still sleeping, it is to cold and today we will get snow again – horrible.
Sigrun
You still have snow, what a shame Sigrun, but it’s nice to know that your flowers are sleeping underneath! I hope it warms up for you soon!
They are so lovely Pauline! This makes me want to rush out and buy a dozen different ones for my garden! Our garden is not really suited to hellebores though, as we get too much heat and sun in the summer. Still, my one really big pink hellebore has got buds on it, and the other small white ones are struggling to produce a couple of flowers. The snow is still lingering in shady spots, but I am optimistic that spring is on the way!
I think spring is on it’s way Cathy, the birds think so anyway! Most of my hellebores are in shade, would they not like your shade too or is that still too hot in the summer? I hope your snow soon goes so that you can enjoy all your early flowers.
What a joy it must be to find all those hellebores! Simply gorgeous! I wonder how my old garden is doing? I’m sure the hellebores are languishing under all the snow up in CT!
It must be difficult leaving a mature garden Jayne, hopefully your plants are nice and snug under their blanket of snow.
How lovely! We had more snow yesterday but it is almost gone, thank goodness. I hope we have warmer temps this weekend so I can cut away the old hellebore foliage to better highlight the flowers that are just beginning to bloom. You were very sneaky to slip that last shot in, but I don’t blame you. The snowdrops are amazing.
I’ve forgotten to cut some of my old hellebore leaves away Marian, looking at my photos have reminded me that I must do them this weekend. Hopefully your snow will soon vanish and you will be able to enjoy your flowers once more.
I couldn’t resist the last photo, a few more years of splitting my wild snowdrops should give me the sheet of white that I hanker after.
Each one of your splendid collection of hellebores is gorgeous. You are right, they add so much to the February garden and as we live in a climate similar to yours, we’re also enjoying ours sans snow. I find it difficult to choose a favorite as, like a bee, I go from flower to flower, each one charming in its own right. However, in my garden I have a double picotee that’s pure white (echoes the snowdrops) with wine red edges that makes my heart skip a beat.
Your beautiful Hellebore sounds delightful Peter, a double white with a red edge, very sophisticated!. We have had a few flurries of snow, but they didn’t last very long at all, so spring feels as though it is just around the corner.
Hi Pauline, Worse than the snow is the brutal cold! Spring is still a long way off here if temperatures are any indication. I really want to order some hellebores for spring planting, so your post was a great reminder to get going. Like you, I love the anemone centred ones.
I don’t envy you your temperatures Jennifer, I really hope it soon warms up for you. I still add a couple of Hellebores each year, but finding space for them is now becoming a problem!
I thought ours were later this year too, Pauline, but when I checked back on my blog it was pretty much the same time last year. I started with dark ones too but now like them less than the others – perhaps there are more lighter varieties available these days…? They are all gorgeous anyway – lovely to share yours!
There are so many gorgeous hellebores Cathy, it’s difficult to choose between them. Mine are definitely later, we had such a mild spell in Jan/Feb last year which must have brought them on, the opposite this year though!
What a heavenly array of hellebores you have, I simply love them all, especially as you say, the anemone centred ones.
I’m glad you included the snowdrops, they are a veritable carpet and are looking lovely, it’s a shame they’ll all be finished soon.xxx
Thanks Dina, I’m glad you like the hellebores. Such a variety is on offer at the garden centre, it’s hard to say which my new one for this year will be!
There will be snowdrops for a while yet as my late flowering ones are just getting going, so hopefully they will be with me for another month, but by then they will be surrounded by daffodils!
You are right about the dark ones not showing up as well. They are beautiful as cut flowers but outside you do not notice them much.
I’m trying to get snowdrops around my dark hellebores Alain, so that they show up better. I usually float the flowers on a bowl of water and they last for quite some time, contrasting with the paler flowers.
The snowdrops command attention don’t they? You have a beautiful range of hellebores Pauline. I’ve been wanting to add some more exotic dark ones, so I appreciate your note about planting something lighter for contrast.
They do rather don’t they Susie, I can see lots of clumps that need splitting, so quite a bit of work for me soon. The dark ones are so beautiful, but they do need something to set them off.
a wonderful collection of different sorts of hellebores. I have bought some different varieties but after a year so they all seem to revert to a sort of muddy colour. I still like them though.
Catmint, are you deadheading your hellebores? If not, then the seedlings grow around the parents and eventually take over, and you lose the original beauty that you started with.The seedlings are never as good as the parents I find, I think in 20 odd years that we have been here, I have one beautiful seedling, the others, as you say, are muddy pink!
I don’t think you could ever post too many snowdrop pictures, or hellebores either! They look so stunning, I can’t wait to see the same here.
I think this is my favorite time of year in your woodland garden although I’ll likely say the same thing about frittilaria season!
Thank you Frank ! Late winter and spring is the best time in the woodland, although autumn runs it a close second.
The fritillaries are all pushing through now, some have even got their buds ready, but I had 2 male pheasants in the garden yesterday, I must start patrolling soon to keep them away!
What a lovely selection. I love them all. It is funny how they vary in blooming time. I have some that have been blooming for weeks and others just coming out now and yet more which are nowhere near flowering. I like the way this extends the season.
Thanks Chloris, I think the season is going to be a long one this year!
Your Helleborus are absolutely gorgeous.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you Marijke, the Hellebores are such beautiful flowers for February and March, they bring such welcome colour to the garden.
I prefer hellebores to snowdrops, I think it’s because they could be appreciated singularly, being different one from each other, while snowdrops are good ‘en masse’ but then looks very similar on a close look. I love that greenish yellow one and also the dark ones are fascinating, although they all look beautiful. I only have a couple of seedlings in my garden, they are greenish with purple dots. I used to grow some large h. x sternii and foetidus in my previous garden, tall and with very elegant foliage.
I think I like the Hellebores just as much as the snowdrops Alberto, I think they both bring a lot to the garden in February and March when not much else is flowering. New hellebores are coming out each year, it is hard to chose from all that are on offer and I keep telling myself that I will soon run out of space to plant them!