I am happy to be joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her lovely Monday meme today. My hellebores are looking so pretty and there were enough to pick for a vase, albeit with quite short stems. 😃
My title describes how I have been walking around the garden the last few days… I have even been able to clear a lot of winter debris so the spring bulbs can shine. Lots of green shoots showing! 😃
The pink vase seemed appropriate, as all but one of my hellebore flowers so far are a shade of pink. I really love the double one… ‘Double Ellen Pink’.
The mottled one is ‘Diva’, as is the white one… The white flowers fade to a lovely pinky mauve.
I added a couple of sprigs of Pussy Willow – last week‘s storm took down a whole tree full of buds along the route we walk our dog, and I took the opportunity to break off a few large twigs for a vase. I do hope the storm in the UK has not affected any of you too badly.
Wishing you all calm and mild weather this coming week!
Words and Herbs 
I love your hellebore vase. You all have so many more varieties available to you over there. Here, they are mostly just plain pink, and although that is exciting since it is the first flower to bloom, they are nothing like your exotics. I doubt I even have buds, so I will just enjoy yours for now, as they are most beautiful!!!
And I always complain that I have no choice here! LOL! In the UK it is easy to find all sorts of hellebore varieties, but here I have to search them out or buy online, which means you can‘t see what you are getting… Mine opened really quickly after just a few milder days, so if you get some sunshine yours might be tempted to open too! 😉
So pretty in the little pink vase. I love to see their faces. It’s exciting to see signs of life in the garden. Bulbs poking up and buds appearing.
Hi Alison. Yes, each day produces new wonders at this time of year. I have golden crocuses opening now. 🙂
Lovely little vase, Cathy, and if there are pussy willows, I’d say it is officially spring!
Well, it does look as though we have been spared a hard winter but I am always hesitant about declaring spring has arrived as it catches us out sometimes! 😉
True!
It’s interesting that the white flower morphs to a speckled pink like that, Cathy. I’m glad you’re seeing signs of Spring. We’re clearly moving in that direction too – in fact, many people would argue we’re already there.
Some of my pink hellebores turn green as they age, which is also very pretty. I couldn‘t see my comment I left on your post just now, and have been having problems with commenting recently… your blue vase was very eye-catching this week and the freesia must smell gorgeous! 🙂
Hellebores are the fleur du jour. I am feeling guilty for all the unpleasantries I wrote about them earlier.
There is nothing like them when nothing else is in flower Tony. I have a handful of crocuses opening but nothing else except my hellebores, all looking perky and pleased with themselves and nodding their heads in the breeze. 🙂
The main reason I dislike them is that they are planted here, but are never happy in our climate. They always look so badly. Even if they performed better, I might not find them to be too impressive, just because there are too many other flowers blooming throughout the year here.
I can quite understand that Tony. I am guilty of having a couple of plants that struggle a bit, (e.g. snowdrops) but generally prefer to grow things that like the conditions we can offer.
A few of the plants that I found in the Los Angeles region grow as hoseplants here, because they are sensitive to even very mild frost. I enjoy them in my own home, but do not try to make fads of them.
How beautiful, Cathy! And I’m so excited for you that spring has finally sprung for you. I can feel your excitement. 🙂
Thank you Debra! The best bit about winter drawing to an end is just being outside again and pottering about doing jobs that don‘t really need doing yet! These are the first few days where the wind has dropped and the sun has warmed up the south side of the house. 🙂
So pretty.
Thanks Sandra!
Such a gorgeous posy, Cathy, glad to see the hellebores have started to flower for you too. Double ones are so hard to find here, or anything special but I’m hoping that one day a seedling will surprise me 😉 Have a good week x
It is hard to find anything a little unusual here too Annette. I ordered some of my hellebores from Susanne Peters last winter ( https://shop.alpine-peters.de/ ) but have not found any other sources in Germany. Yes, seedlings alone are always lovely, but if they come up in new colours it must be exciting! I have only ever seen that with my Aquilegias and once on some Sweet Williams. 🙂
I didn’t realise that, always thought the choice is pretty good in Germany. Maybe take a trailer next time you go to the UK 😉 , but seriously a friend of mine paid around 30GBP for one hellebore at Ashwood, I think that’s way too expensive…rather stick to my ‘simple’ ones 🙂
That IS expensive. And I thought I was being extravagant paying €17,99 for one recently!
What a very sweet vase.
Thank you. 🙂
Pretty, pretty pink…a nice way to start off spring.
Oh yes… any colour is good in spring but pink is especially lovely!
Your hellebores are lovely–and they do help springtime along so elegantly! Mine are still tight buds, but at least they visible…😉
A few mild days and they will be racing to open Amy! Ours went from buds to open flowers in just a week or so!
That pink vase is spot-on for your pink hellebores Cathy – have they stayed erect since Monday, or flopped? So glad you ahve been able to enjoy your garden recently – there are lots of signs of spring here too, and new discoveries to be made every day, and whatever people are saying about the weather I am still aware of a difference in the quality of light
Funny you should ask, Cathy… my hellebores wilted within 24 hours so I quickly cut them and floated them instead. They look refreshed now and I can see them better as well! It‘s odd that I have had the same ones in a vase and they have lasted four or five days….. The light is definitely changing here too Cathy, even when it is grey and rainy. And every day I notice the daylight hours increasing quite visibly.
There seems to be definitive way of successfully keeping them in a vase with the stems intact – i have tried several suggested methods
Such pretty hellebores Cathy well matched with the pussy willow. I don’t think that I’ve ever met a hellebore that I didn’t like. Did storms Ciara and Dennis blow over in your direction and if so did their names change or are storms in Germany nameless?
Storm Ciara was quite bad here and was called Sabine! And the latest one has only just arrived in the north of Germany but we are going to get the tail end tomorrow. I haven’t heard what they are calling this one though. This year all our low pressure weather fronts have female names. Next year it will be the guys again!
I like the look of the mottled hellebore, most artistic!
I was quite surprised at the variety of shades and markings on just one plant!
What a sweet little bud vase. I was in need of something like that yesterday when I accidentally pruned a flowering stalk instead of just the old leaves as I’d intended. It’s lovely to see the different forms together but I especially like the double one.
I find I use small vases a lot more than big ones almost all year for odd bits and pieces! 😉
Such pretty pink varieties. I love seeing the hellebores. I don’t have any willow at home to cut for those bunny ear softness. They make a good combination
Thanks Dorris. There is a German saying ‘Fortune in misfortune’ which describes perfectly my willow twigs from the fallen tree. So sad to see all the broken trees after the storm though. 😕
So horrid this stormy weather. Not a good development.
I like the German phrase. Similar to Every cloud has a silver lining
It’s such an exciting time of the year; uncovering those green shoots. Almost like Magic!!
Your colors are lovely, I love the combination of flowers and vase.
Thanks Nancy! I can‘t always comment on your blog (are the comments turned off or is it me?) but I am enjoying your posts! 😃
Hey Cathy! I dont know abouy tge comments. I did not intend to turn them off. Haha. I am not the most tech savvy in the world. I am gkad you came by and you are enjoying my posts. I akways love to see pics of your flowers and lovely garden. 🌹🌸💮🏵
The pussy willow is a real treat for me. I never see them! I continue to be amazed by the number of varieties of Helleborus in Europe – Diva is a diva.
There are new hellebore hybrids every year Amy, and they seem to be getting bigger and more robust which is a good thing! 😃 Yes, Diva is a lovely one which I have had in a pot all winter. When I look out each morning I know immediately if it is below zero as it flops. Then later as temperatures rise it is suddenly upright and perky again! It will be planted out late spring. 🌸
Amazing what people can grow!
Cathy your hellebores are wonderful, I love them. The pink vase is gorgeous. I love the little church that you put next to them. I hope that the storm Ciara last week and Dennis this weekend did not cause you serious problems, because in the news of Spain they said that they had seriously affected Germany with floods, power outages, … I was worried about you. I am very happy that your garden begins to emerge with the bulbs of Spring and with these fantastic hellebores. Have a great weather and happy gardening. Greetings from Margarita.
Thank you Margarita! Our storms were not very nice but no harm done here except for a broken fence. I hope you are well Margarita. Take care.
Cathy is very glad that you are well and that everything has been left on a broken fence. It must have been horrible to live the storms but luckily they have passed and I hope with all my heart that you will never have storms like that again. I’m a little more animated Cathy: thank you very much for your words of encouragement. I wish you have a very good weather to do gardening and that your hellebores continue to grow so wonderful. Have a happy week and good weekend. Greetings from Margarita x
A lovely collection of pinks, Cathy. I’m glad to hear hour bulbs are popping up. Nothing screams “spring” quite like an emerging bulb. I hope you are keeping well.
Thank you Alys! Good to hear from you! All is well here, with spring not far away. 😉 Hope you and your family are well too. 😃
Now where did that come from? One minute it’s winter and the next you have hellebores and catkins, it gives me hope for my own frozen garden 🙂 The hellebores here were far enough back that our current freeze doesn’t seem to be doing much damage. Odd that the snowdrops were further and are suffering. Love that bloom with the mottling, for some reason I don’t enjoy them like that in the garden, but in a vase they look fantastic!
Thanks Frank. Winter has been mild but still too damp and cold to get outdoors! Getting itchy feet…. 😉
Nice Hellebores. I like the white accent among all the pinks.
Hi Jason. The white ones don’t seem to like my garden – the red and pink ones just take over! I will plant this white one out soon as it is in a pot, and hope it returns next year.
Gorgeous Cathy I love the color in these. I have begun my search to add them to my space. We are having horrid flooding in the southern US hope you all don’t suffer as well.
It is wet here too Eunice, but we are glad as the drought the last two years meant less water available to our new trees.
I thought you may have simular weather ❤
These are luscious hellebores Cathy. Brings immense pleasure to see them especially as we wait for spring, although I’m finally learning they deserve their moment as center of attention.
Hi Susie. Yes, the best flowers for late winter before the bulbs start sprouting. 🙂