We do grow lots of flowers besides Daffodils! One of the most interesting is the Hellebores. Commonly known as Lenten Rose or winter Rose, they have no relationship to the rose family. But in our area they are one of the earliest spring flowers, this year the earliest, so we often think of them as Easter Rose.
This is a young plant, with only a few blooms and small leaves. One of its main limitations is that the flowers hang downwards, preventing you from getting a good view of them. Or of course they are facing away from me and my camera!
So I tried a back view, but this blossom is looking a little bedraggled.
In contrast, this is our original plant, quite large now, with dozens of blooms. You can see how the leaves form in a whorl, unusual among flowers. and quite distinctive. It's also evergreen in our experience, though it does get buried by snow.
So yesterday while I was out on the patio, Mrs. F.G. ruffled the blooms and I was able to get this photo showing the dark rich purple on the interior pf the blooms. It's really very pretty when looked at from below.
This is one of our newest plants, an interesting pink shade. Now they are bred to point upwards rather than hang down. I'm not sure that's an improvement!
What a beautiful flower, from any angle. Thanks for the great pictures, FG.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be a lot of variety of colours.
ReplyDeleteHellebores are such undemanding plants. I cut down the old foliage once in late winter and that is it. No other attention is needed. I wonder if that last one, the pink one, is Pink Frost, one of the new upfacing ones.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Hellebores, I enjoyed your photographs.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
the flowers are gorgeous. mrs. fg has beautiful gardens. i am not familiar with hellebores, what a pretty flower!!
ReplyDeleteThey are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Hellebores before 'you'. Sounds like a song. They are so pretty, especially after Mrs. FG ruffled them!
ReplyDeleteHellebores are wonderful plants. I love the way they flower so enthusiastically before everything else. A pity the flowers all stare at the ground but what can you do? Apart from sending Mrs FG into the garden to ruffle them up! Also, if you don’t weed too much I find they seed themselves all over my garden.
ReplyDeleteOur hellebores have plain light green flowers, lighter than the leaves. I've always thought that was the ancestral color of the flowers, but that may not be the case. Your purple and white ones are really pretty, the pink ones not so much.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty! I've seen hellebores before but never attempted to grow them. I'll have to watch the garden centers for them here, as I'm re-doing the one flower bed.
ReplyDeleteNature explodes with colour quickly after the snow is gone! So pretty too.
ReplyDeleteGardener that I am, don't think I've ever seen those! To be fair, I've only recently begun to seriously grow flowers and get to know them. Food has always been my growing priority. They are beautiful, and I really love any flower that can tough it out through the snow and cold in early spring.
ReplyDeletePretty little plants. I've never grown them, but maybe I will now!
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous! I think I need to add some of those different ones. Mine are the old fashioned white and the pink ones. I love them both, but your last 2 photos have me thinking.
ReplyDeleteThese are sweet. It is tricky trying to photograph them.
ReplyDelete