to hellebore and back (in a vase)

DSC_0014

I’ve never been big on Hellebores but I do understand the mania. It’s the only thing going on out there for the longest time.

DSC_0013

If I had a wall where I could walk by and look up at them, they would no doubt be faves of mine too. Their nodding habit makes them disappointing in a garden where I look down on them (in more ways than one). Lots of people float the flowers in a bowl, where their beauty can be appreciated.

DSC_0012

I haven’t enough of them for that approach, so I picked a couple of the first stems and one leaf (it is the foliage that wormed its way into my garden). The cute little bottle was once filled with balsamic vinegar, now repurposed as a kind of bud vase. There is a pony wall around the stairs in our dining room so I could place the little arrangement where, when seated, we could look up into the heart of the flower. Cathy (Rambling in the Garden) has used Hellebores in a much more flamboyant way you won’t want to miss.

23 thoughts on “to hellebore and back (in a vase)

  1. Yes, Donna is right, a maturing clump is definitely a things of beauty – even with your hard heart I don’t think you could fail to be moved… 😉 The stems seem to become taller and straighter too, so give them time…and patience… In the meantime, your apologetic offering is till sweet but definitely on the shy side… ps great title today rickii!

  2. I have a collection of balsamic vinegar jars like yours. Perfect container for your hellebore today. The flowers are difficult to peer into but you’ve solved that problem too. I’ve read there are some hybrids that hold their little heads up much better. Mine tend to be the nodding kind also. Have a great week.

  3. Hellebores don’t have an easy time growing here so it’s a thrill when one blooms but it is annoying that they turn their pretty faces downward. I’m not sure I’ll be able to bring myself to cut any of the few I have but, should I, I’ll be sure to search for a similar placement for my vase.

  4. If you love green, then the leaves alone are worth growing Hellebores for. They are great in shady places…and when they flower in the usual season, and this year they are a couple of months early in the garden, bees and bumblebees love them. I had wondered about growing them in pots, then suspending them during their flowering season.

  5. I love these for their winter blooming habit, the long lasting flowers, and the handsome foliage. Your vase is perfect; interesting but without detracting from the simple beauty of the hellebores.

  6. I can understand your ambivalence about the drooping form in which hellebores “smile”. I often wonder if it is not a genetic characteristic that has imbued the species to encourage them to bloom and flourish during winter. I view their habit as tucking their head down away from the wind and cold. Anyway, as I sit in my office at the computer, I can look out my window and see a variety of assorted colors of double and single hellebores blooming along with my February Gold Narcissus. I am sure I will always plant hellebores everywhere I live. There is no way I would ever deprive myself this wonderful little winter “smile”, even if it does have a drooping attitude.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *