The plan was to venture out into the garden today and snip a few hellebore flowers, enough to float in a bowl for
'In A Vase On Monday'. That was the plan but the weather gods have not been cooperative so it's a case of make do and mend with one that was already floating. This was the accidental victim of some late in the day pruning of hellebore foliage on Saturday. I thought that I had finished this task early in the new year but there was one plant that got away. As the gardening books all suggest this a job to be completed before the arrival of flowers as there is a risk that if you leave it until later it's easy to snip a flower head off which is what happened. I'm sure that most hellebore lovers have done this at one point or another. I retrieved the head with short stalk, bringing it indoors to float in the hope that it would enjoy some company today but it was not to be. The hellebore is from a white picotee helleborus hybrid with a dark nectarine from
Ashwood Nurseries.
It is nestling in the pages of a book that I think that I might spend some time with later this week, namely
Edith Holden's 'The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady'. The forecast is predicting two named winter storms so I think that there will be much in the way of hunkering down and reading. Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at
'Rambling In The Garden' . No doubt she has had a most busy weekend with preparations and then opening her garden for the
NGS yesterday, but she has still had time and energy to squeeze picking and posting some delightful gems to share with us today. Do visit and enjoy them.
Photographing the hellebore bloom in a glass vase sitting atop that book was very effective, Anna. It was as if the birds were looking down at their nest, proud of their attractive progeny ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris. The pair of lovebirds was a little concession to the fact that it was Valentine's Day 😂
DeleteWhat a beautiful bloom for early spring.
ReplyDeleteHellebores are beautiful flowers indeed Donna and look good both in late winter and early spring 😀
DeleteI love your picotee hellebore. Yes I've done it often, usually decapitating nice plump buds. You and I seem to have the same gardening books, but I suspect that like me you have an extensive gardening library.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chloris- I do have an extensive gardening library - himself says that I love reading about gardening more than actually gardening.I have too many but am beginning to prune them down especially allotment themed books. It's hard to say goodbye to any of them.
DeleteWhat a lovely post, and I like the picture in the background with the sparrow and catkins. The weather has been dreadful these past few days.
ReplyDeleteThe weather is still continuing in the same vein Noelle - we seem to be stuck on permanent wet and windy!
DeleteHow pretty Anna. I think your storms are coming our way now. We had a few days respite from the wind, but it is icy cold again today! Happy reading. :-)
ReplyDeleteI read that storm Eunice crossed to Europe Cathy and affected various countries including Germany. I hope that it avoided Barvaria. I ma certainly enjoying reading at the moment. Opportunities to venture out in the garden are few but it must improve soon.
DeleteI haven't got round to pruning last year it's too wet to do it now. The flowers seem to be popping up though. I do seem to have less this year.
ReplyDeleteYes it's so wet at the moment Sue 😟 I think that my hellebores are in need of a good feed so must do that.
DeleteAnna, the picotee hellebore is sparkly--glad you rescued it. Edith Holden's lovely diary is a lovely way to spend an afternoon indoors.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susie. It's the sort of book that is comforting to return to from to time on a winter's afternoon.
ReplyDeletegood looking helleborus, mine did not return after one year. Have to try again but first figure out the problem. Nice photos on your blog.
ReplyDelete