The new year has started of mild and sunny, and today I actually found myself doing some gardening. What a great way to begin 2023!
I did some chopping of mouldy and flopped foliage, and then cut most of the leaves off my hellebores, which are starting to flower beautifully. In a few weeks I should have enough to float a whole bowlful, but for today I am more than happy with just one. 😃
I chose a small porcelain bowl my sister gave me a few years ago – just right for a single flower.
The intricacy of the flowers can be seen so well when floating them. This is one of the Ice ‘n’ Roses Gold Collection, I think ‘Early Red’, although I have ‘Early Rose’ too and they are practically identical. (Or wrongly labelled, which does happen!) I have raved about this collection before – they are all wonderful and very hardy, mostly flowering early and for a long time. And I believe there are now over a dozen sorts. I will be keeping my eye out for another one this spring. 😉
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this meme. And here’s to hellebores and happy gardening days! And a Happy New Year to you all!
Words and Herbs 
How delightful! We are still soggy and grey … but the temperatures are mild.
Thank you Val. We had a grey Christmas but the last few days have been a nice sunny interlude before the next band of rain arrives! No snow in sight either.
They are such magical plants! I have the old fashioned white one in bloom traditionally call the Christmas Rose. It went through zero temps Christmas week end and is now enjoying lower sixties here in Virginia!
They are tough little plants aren’t they. I am constantly amazed at how they flop overnight in the frosts and then as soon as the temperature rises they stand up again and continue flowering!
That is so pretty!
Thank you Rosie!
There is nothing more comforting that time in the garden, and with the movement one can keep remarkably warm. Now you and the rest of us can sit back and absorb the beauty of that first perfect hellebore. Happy New Year to you and yours.
I actually had to take off my jacket as it was so mild. I did have two pairs of gloves on though! 😉 Happy 2023 Noelle.
Such a beautiful flower 💕
Thanks Cathy. I do love my hellebores. 😃
A glorious floating hellebore Cathy. I will have to look out for that series of hellebores on my next garden centre trip. A January birthday means that there will be one before the month is out and there are bound to hellebores on sale. I hope that you have well and truly shaken off that cold. Wishing you a most happy and healthy New Year!
Thanks Anna. Yes, I felt much better for being out in the garden for an hour or so today. I hope you find a nice hellebore for your birthday treat… a trip to a garden centre sounds like a great way to celebrate! 😃 Wishing you a very happy New Year too Anna!
What a beauty.
😃 And so many more buds on the way too!
Beautiful flower, I love Hellebores and like the stamens on that one, they look like eyelashes. How wonderful to get into the garden and celebrate the New Year.
Eyelashes? What a wonderful comparison! 😃 Yes, it was a very positive start to the year being able to get out with my secateurs and tidy up a bit. 👍
A new year treat.
Lovely colour and the marks in the glazing of the bowl mirror the blossom perfectly!
😃 Thanks Eliza!
Lovely hellebore. One of mine, Pink Frost, just vanished this year. A bit strange…. But now I have a good excuse to go shopping for more 😉
Happy New Year Cathy!
Oh yes, that is the perfect excuse for a trip to the garden centre Judith! Happy New Year!
Very pretty, Cathy. My hellebores have been slow to develop but then that’s not unusual. I’m hoping the rain we’re getting will get them going. Happy new year! I hope your weather continues to be pleasant and comfortable for gardening.
There is nothing better than flowers in the winter.
Absolutely. 😃
That was how we displayed a few of the hellebores for guests wanting to purchase them at our rare retail events. We grew only a few cultivars, and only a few of them bloomed that late in the season. Most of what we had were ferals, which needed no display. Unfortunately, they do not perform well here. I would have preferred to not grow them.
Luckily they seem to do fine in our climate and don’t mind drought or being baked in summer, or freezing winters. I think their only enemy would be soggy soil.
I suspect that they prefer cooler weather during winter. Quite a few species prefer harsher conditions. For some, it inhibit proliferation of their respective pathogens.
Lol, I did the same kind of soggy, slimey gardening too. It has to be done! That is a great hellebore to start the year with. So far I only have white H. niger, but I had to move all the ones in the front garden a short while ago and I don’t know what will happen to their flowers this year. I hope to enjoy yours though!
Hope your hellebores like their new spot. It was good to get some of the dead stuff cut down so I can see mine when they start opening. I will be sure to share them! 😃
What a lovely way to start the new year, Cathy. Your vase is heart-warming. My H. niger have also started to flower and there’s the first flower on Magnolia stellata. No frost in sight, I hope the plants won’t get too boisterous. Have a great week
Wow, a magnolia flower already! It is going to stay mild here for the time being too, but the hellebores are just about the only flowers right now. We are wishing for a nice long mild spring with no wind… 😉 Have a good week too Annette!
So pretty now I must walk up into the upper yard to see if any of mine have survived. Happy New Year! Weather has been frigid and icy to very nice for New England now back into the 30’s with possible freezing rain but I am more worried about my garlic wanting to pop up even more.
Ha ha – my garlic is up already. 😜 Just hope it won’t snow now! LOL!
I have a solid 3 months of potential snow and with all our rain it will probably rot 😦
You captured really beautiful details. Lovely.
Thank you. The flower has opened up completely now, revealing more details. 😃
What a beauty. I have the common white just sending up a bud and I’m not sure it will make it, but maybe a pink sister would be just what she needs to start growing better!
I can’t wait for mine to all get going. I am hoping my yellow one will flower this year as it suffered from a vole attack last year!
Forgot to comment – sorry, Cathy! You can’t get much prettier than a single hellebore bloom, especially such a lovely variety as this 😊
Thank you Cathy. It has opened up completely now revealing its full beauty. 😃
Oh, that is so pretty and hopeful. Thanks so much for sharing. Happy New Year!
Thank you Beth. Happy 2023!
I love the simplicity of your single hellebore in the pretty dish! I don’t think I have anything blooming at the moment or if they are, they’re just barely hanging on. LOL! We won’t see spring for a long time yet, but I love waiting for it. And maybe I’m slightly impatient. Happy New Year, Cathy. I’m so glad your climate has been mild. A nice way to begin. 🙂
Yes, spring does seem a long way off still, despite our mild spell. The hellebores are the only flowers so far, and they are all showing buds so the excitement mounts! 😃
Nice presentation – we need our flowers!
Absolutely! 😃