Sunday 21 July 2013

Hellebores

 It's an exciting time for me because my hellebores are in bloom! Inspired by a photo I saw a few months ago in Sweet Peas For Summer, I rushed out to pick as many blooms as I could to float in a bowl. That turned out to be only four, as the rest haven't opened fully enough to float, so I filled the rest of the bowl with camellia blossoms. I love all these soft pastel hues, and the frilly petals mirror the fluted shape of the handmade pottery bowl I found recently while op shopping.

 I visited my mum recently and she had two hellebores. I was instantly smitten with the one above left, which has amazing fluted petals in soft pink. This photo doesn't really do it justice, because it drooped as soon as I divided and transported a clump. But there are another couple of buds still on it, and if not this year there's always next. Above right is a common maroon spotted one, I do love its freckled cheeks though and it would have been lovely if it was flowering fully so I could put it in my bowl!

 These are two I got last year. The left one is a picotee and the right one is called Pink Lady. They both have really large, bell shaped flowers that have bloomed for the first time this year. I really love the clear pink of Pink Lady, I was expecting it to be a bit more muddy but it's quite lovely.

 I do think hellebores have been lumped with an unfortunate name as they are so much prettier and less boring than the name implies! A common name is Winter Rose but I don't really call anything but a rose a rose, so I'm kind of stuck. Perhaps I'll just keep calling them my beautiful darlings.


16 comments:

  1. such a variety of shapes and colours, but all lovely. i managed to kill off my only hellebore last winter somehow, but i am tempted to have another bash after seeing yours x

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    1. They are definitely worth the effort. Once you get one established they are usually fine but they like a bit of shade in summer.

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  2. Just beautiful. I have never grown hellebore flowers....very pretty floating! robbie:-)

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    1. Thanks Robbie, they are probably best floating because otherwise they droop and you don't see the pretty faces!

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  3. I'm enjoying mine in the garden so much at the moment that I haven't been able to bear the thought of picking any, but I would be tempted if I had a bowl like yours!

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    1. I know... I only picked the ones that still had other buds on the plant! It will be interesting to see how long they last in the bowl.

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  4. They are really beautiful, do they need a cold Winter? Wondering if I can grow them here in Northland.

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    1. I'm not sure how cold it needs to be but I know things like frost and snow don't bother them! They do like to be shaded in summer, so planting them under deciduous trees is ideal.

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  5. The combination of camellias and hellebores, how lovely! And I looooove the pottery bowl,too, wich suit the floating flowers!!! Looking at your photos, I want to have the picotee to my garden:)

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  6. I absolutely love hellebores, can't get enough of them, how lovely to se yours! I actually have one hellebore in my London garden that flowers twice a year, once in the winter and once again in the summer! It does that almost every year and I just spotted the first bud of its summer flowers the other day, seems like I will get summer flowers this year too. None of my other hellebores does this so this one is quite special. Since it is so hot here right now the flowers don't last very long, and they don't set seed, perhaps the right insects aren't around - it is 5 months too later after all!
    Loved your bowl of hellebores and camellia, I often do that too!

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    1. Wow - I'd love it if some of mine flowered twice a year! I wonder why it does that. They are lovely though when they flower in the dark days of winter. Funny that we'll be enjoying hellebores at the same time on opposite sides of the world!

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  7. Hellebores and camellias -- what a beautiful combination! I can't grow camellias in this climate, but I have hellebores and they have to be my all time favorite. P. x

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    1. Hellebores are tough aren't they, I've seen pictures of them peeking through snow! I feel quite lucky to have them to brighten a bleak winter's day.

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  8. I agree that hellebores should have a prettier name. Yours are lovely, and I love the look of them floating in a bowl with camellia blooms. You aren't going to believe this - I barely can - but my hellebores are still blooming - at the height of our summer! I hope it doesn't hurt them and that they will bloom again this winter!

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    1. What, really! Those must be some happy hellebores! I hope mine can get to that stage some day, the beauty of hellebore flowers combined with a summer's day would be perfection.

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