I don’t remember when the Hellebore addiction began…
They are such early and long lasting bloomers and they thrive on my property.
The first three pics are current flowers from the pet cemetery. The one in the header photo is always the first to bloom.
Shortly after the death of my wonderful Golden B catboy, I found this one at the grocery store- part of the “Golden” collection.
This pic is my favorite pink.
I think is part of a collection from Brecks.
Finally, the mixed bed — burgundies, pinks, speckled whites etc.
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Current status on my garden planning (h/t Siubhan Duinne):
What’s going on in your garden (planning / prep / indoor), this week?
Gloria DryGarden
The colors of these hellebores! They’re beautiful.
It would be truly useful to know where you are growing these, your state, the annual rainfall, the garden zone, the kind of climate.
People grow hellebores in Colorado, but I think it’s all grown in irrigated beds. Around here, winter blooming darlings like these have to be hand watered.
TBone
When kitty Josey was dying, I forgot to order one of the annual Christmas gifts I always send to my (now 80 y.o.) Aunt, an evergreen centerpiece wiith candle and flowers. When I called the usual florist in Keene, NH she said it was too late (Xmas Eve eve). I called another and she was so nice when I explained, she said of course we can do it! When I got the photo of her work upon delivery, I was horrified to see PINK carnations and other flowers I deemed not Christmasy in an otherwise beautifully arranged holiday centerpiece. I quickly sent my aunt a text, explaining “new florist, am horrified, please don’t hesitate to toss that thing if you like it as much as I do hahaha, hope your holiday is merry and bright, but not bright pink!” She sent me a message back (with better photos) disagreeing and pointing out some beautiful Lenten Roses and other things that were not horrid and said she loved it! So I learned some new horticulture (my Aunt is a gardener and lifelong horticulturist and still works in the community garden at her assisted living condo association). A happy ending.
J.
Lovely photos!
kalakal
How nice to see those beautiful hellebores. They don’t like it here in Fl so the pics are a treat.
Been very dry and (for here) cold the last few weeks and the garden is looking a bit sad. The bright spot is the datura which is flowering like crazy
raven
Garden Girl has them all over!
satby
Very pretty SkyBluePink! I ordered 2 hellebores from Brecks for this spring, my first attempt at growing them. Wish me luck.
SkyBluePink
The first picture is actually the one from the Golden collection planted for my Golden B. It changes colors.
@Gloria DryGarden: Western North Carolina
SkyBluePink
@satby: All the luck, satby!
They are the easiest flowers to grow here. Dumb fact: I used to weed out the three leafed starts in the beds – finally figured out those were hellebore seedlings. Now I dig them and plant in pots to share or to replant in other places when established.
Anne Laurie
Send photos!
sab
The last picture is my current gardening plan also.
delphinium
Lovely photos! Really like the fourth photo with the tree (shrub?) in back providing a nice, contrasting texture.
JAM
So I’m feeling like those ladies, but I’ve got a bunch of native seeds planted in carton and jugs, so I have to start digging beds for them soon. I already sacrificed one of the raised beds for them, so I have to grow all my veggies in bags next year.
MazeDancer
So pretty!
Feel about hellebores like I do about somewhat similarly petaled blossoms at the end of the season, Japanese Anemones – wish they would grow for me.
Deaded one Japanese anemone, don’t need to try again. Though my neighbors have one that they inherited by buying the house. Which they, like the neighbors before them, do not appreciate.
Jeffery
I had an email from the people who coordinates working on the pocket park up the hill from me saying they were looking for volunteers to finish removing the wood mulch from the street, where it was dumped in July, to on the hillside where the park is located.
The mulch has been taking up two parking spaces where parking is at a premium. It’s about time they got around to it.
Wrote back to let them know with the snow and rain expected tonight followed by a week of Arctic temperatures the piles would probably be frozen this coming Saturday.
The date got moved to mid February.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
These hellebores are beautiful! One of my favorites in the garden because they’re so carefree once established.
I planted ~6 under a crape myrtle and 5 next to the front porch 20 years ago. We have dozens and dozens all over the garden now. We often pull the starts and give them to neighbors, with directions to water them the first season or two, then let them be. They’re quite drought-tolerant once established. They do like winter sun, so they’re perfect for planting under a deciduous tree.
We’ve been having unseasonable low temps and wind here in the DC metro area, with the longest period of snow cover in over a decade, so my Lenten roses aren’t blooming. In fact, they look pretty ragged, what little is poking above the snow. Temps are supposed to go down to low single digits the next few days, so we may lose some plants in the garden. We’ve become accustomed to being a 7b zone in the last few years. This is not 7b weather. At. All.
Gloria DryGarden
@SkyBluePink: thank you. You have actual rain there. I hope you weren’t flooded out a few months back.
I planted a few hellebores in some shade, hoping our 10-14” of precip would keep them going, but I’ve skipped my winter watering for a few years; I’m not hopeful.
I’ll just enjoy your photos, and swoon.
dnfree
We had beautiful Lenten roses in a deer-resistant (never deer-proof!) shaded path at our last house (far northern Illinois). They did beautifully, deer didn’t bother them, and we loved them. We’re now in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and planted some in a shaded area here, and SOMETHING likes them. Possible suspects are deer, squirrels, or rabbits. Even spraying them with deer/rabbit repellent hasn’t worked. We’re sad, so feel free to offer suggestions.
SkyBluePink
@dnfree: Deer were voracious last year, even eating the ready to burst blooms on the Asiatic lilies and phlox sprouts never bothered before. But they have never bothered the Lenten Roses. Nor have the squirrels or rabbits- of which there are many. Good luck!
StringOnAStick
I planted a Lenten rose last summer, not realizing how shaded the location is in the winter, so I think I need to move it this summer.
The ornamental blue gramma grass seeds I have under lights are starting to sprout, so the big xeric redo of the front yard is looking promising.
Dan B
I’ve got several double and exotically colored Hellebores blooming and a dozen more budding. There are two big Garrya covered with catkins. We’ve got wind out of the north and even weak gusts make it look like they’re smoking. It hit 27° last night. It was only supposed to be 31° so I didn’t cover the Bolivian Fuchsia which looks terrible. Sigh. Surprisingly the African Daisies are still fine and flowers are opening.
Gvg
I grow some here in north central Florida. I looked at prices for them considering they were unlikely to live here and decided to try seeds from NARGS (North American rock garden society) instead. My internet research said H corcsia and another species were the most southern ones so I tried them first. They are growing slowly and seem fine. Others haven’t lived. Only thing is I think the species names have been changed. Have to look that up again. They come from Mediterranean climates so my odds were not good even with no winter chill species, but it seems to be working. I grow them among ferns, which I have to keep pulled back.
With wood land plants, especially hard ones, I find it’s best to get them planted in woods as soon as possible. They just don’t like it long term in pots with watering.