Hellebores are the wonders of the winter garden. They are a combination of delicate and strong. They are elegant but can survive the most horrible weather; freezing rain, snow, hail and wind. Hellebores are easy to grow and are one of the few plants to bloom in winter. The flowers come in a gorgeous variety of muted colours including creamy white, pink, dark red and almost black. There are many varieties to choose from, some with frilly double and delicately freckled blooms. They are one of my favourite flowers, both for the garden and the vase!
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Heavenly hellebores: building up a collection
Is it just me or is everyone obsessed with hellebores these days? Maybe it’s just like when you are pregnant, you see pregnant women everywhere. Anyway, hellebores are becoming more and more popular with floral designers and gardeners. And it’s no wonder: They are one of the few plants to bloom in winter. They are easy to grow, even for the beginner. Blooming from late winter to early spring, the flowers last a long time. Hellebores come in many different muted colours, with speckles or veins or picotee edges. There are hellebores with single and double flowers. You have so many to choose from, and they are beautiful.
Continue reading Heavenly hellebores: building up a collection
Spring floral arrangement: saying goodbye to tulips
Spring is well underway and sadly, tulip season is coming to an end. The Keukenhof is closed for this year after receiving over one million visitors! Have you ever visited? I still haven’t! I’ll put it on my to-do list for next year. To say goodbye to the tulips, I am sharing a spring floral arrangement, featuring tulips, hellebores and clematis.
Continue reading Spring floral arrangement: saying goodbye to tulips
What’s blooming in the garden: April
Hello, I hope you are enjoying spring! We had some nice days and cold nights. Spring is later this year but is now well underway. Last week I wrote the cherry blossom trees were not in full bloom yet, they are now! The magnolia flowers are already starting to fall on the ground. It’s such a shame that the spectacular flowering trees only bloom for such a short time, don’t you think? Luckily, there is much to look forward to these days. It won’t be long before the azaleas and rhododendrons start blooming. They are not as sensational as the cherry trees, but they come close.
Growing hellebores
Are you a member of the hellebore appreciation society yet? I certainly am! They are a garden favourite because they’re one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. They brighten up the winter garden while we are all longing for some colour. They are expensive, but they give a great return on investment.
Market days March
March seems to have been much colder, wetter and darker than February. So, no sunshine on this month’s market pictures, just grey skies, and raindrops.
Dream garden
It is still winter but there are signs of spring everywhere. The snowdrops are the first flowers to bloom in our garden. Two varieties of hellebores lighten up the back garden, they are so pretty. There are also some green hellebores in the front garden. They don’t get much sun so they probably won’t open for weeks.
