Tag: Hellebores

Posted on

In Praise Of Winter Gardens, Plus A Tip Or Two

Wooden bench amongst winter plants and grasses
Bodnant Garden’s colourful winter garden

I’m a big fan of winter gardens that make the most of plants that look good when herbaceous borders are expanses of mulch-covered dirt. Trees with white trunks such as this Betula utilis var jacquemontii (Himalayan birch) often feature, together with evergreens, light-reflecting grasses, red stemmed Cornus (dogwood), Skimmia, Hamamelis (witch hazel), flowering heather, hellebores, Bergenia, Cyclamen and winter flowering bulbs.

Plants like this seem to shrug off winter weather, but the current cold spell means that the hardiness of plants of all types is being tested in many UK and American gardens.

Some gardeners go to great lengths to keep tender plants alive, wrapping their pots up, covering them with some form of plant blanket, or moving them indoors. Others will only plant what grows. Many of us are somewhere in-between, willing to offer our plant treasures a helping hand if conditions are unusually bad, provided we know what to do.

Overhead view of a pot protected from the frost
A pot of bulbs wrapped in burlap, with a double layer of netting to deter squirrels

Continue reading “In Praise Of Winter Gardens, Plus A Tip Or Two”

Posted on

Regular Random: Double Hellebore

Close up of a flower, held up to look inside

When you photograph a hellebore, you’re faced with some stark choices. Show the plant as it is and capture the natural essence of the bloom, or lift the flower to show the inside. It’s tempting to go for a macro shot like this one to reveal the beautiful pattern of veining but it gives me a weird feeling of misrepresentation; invasion, almost. It feels uncomfortably like peeking at a Victorian lady to get a glimpse of voluminous, lacy underwear.

A cluster of double hellebore flowers on sturdy stems

I would have said that this shot gives a better impression of the true character of the plant if the one in the back didn’t seem to be wearing a superman cape and keeping a watchful eye on a couple of conspirators in the foreground.  Continue reading “Regular Random: Double Hellebore”

Posted on

Two Hellebores At Ness Botanic Gardens

Velvety hellebore hybrid with a blurred sea of snowdrops

The first shot is a variation on a theme. You may remember the purple hellebore bowing its head in homage to snowdrops towards the end of my recent post about snowdrops. This flower was nearby. I bent down, half automatically, and turned the flower up to take a look inside. The darker spotting on a rich, purple background created an effect somewhere between velvet and silk. Very regal. It may be just my imagination, but in this shot, it’s the snowdrops that seem to be paying homage, like fans at a concert.  Continue reading “Two Hellebores At Ness Botanic Gardens”

Posted on

Hellebore Macros

Hellebore macro

Hellebores are intriguing plants because they hybridise so readily, giving rise to many different forms. If your knees can stand it, it’s worth bending down and lifting the flower to see what’s inside as the backs of the petals often give little clue of what’s inside.

While the inner petals can be clear, they’re often streaked, spotted, splashed or neatly edged with a contrasting colour. Some forms have enlarged nectaries or double rows of petals. Continue reading “Hellebore Macros”

Posted on

Beware of the Flowers…

Floating hellebore flowers

…cos I’m sure they’re gonna get you, yeah.

You’re not sure what that refers to, perhaps? That bit of punk pop rock fluff from the 20th century passed you by, even though it’s reputed to have been voted the nation’s seventh favourite lyric of all time in a 1999 BBC poll? Lucky you have me, then.

You do recall this is the same nation that overwhelmingly voted for Boaty McBoatface as the name of our spanking new polar research vessel (and still imagines more popular votes might be helpful)?

If you were expecting something more meaningful to accompany these floating hellebores, don’t worry, I’ve got that covered too. Continue reading “Beware of the Flowers…”