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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day, Hellebores for GBBD! February 14, 2015

This is wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!   I hope you can spend time with someone you love.  To commemorate, I wrote a poem inspired by a lucky find in a grocery store-

The watermelon was warm as he lay on his side,
Dreamily wishing to go for a ride.
Visions of wheels swirled through his head,
Spokes and chains, and onward he sped,
Pedaling madly his bike up a slope,
Then speeding down fast as a melon could hope.
A mystical weevil deduced his wild dreams,
And burrowing in she gave form to his schemes.
So happily I discovered this art,
Envisioned by someone with a very sweet heart.



I went out to see how my Hellebores were doing, my earliest spring bloomers, and was surprised to find some flowers.  My 14 year old white to pink to purple down-facing Hellebores were doing great, they not only survive but also freely self-sow into various shades of white, pink, and  purple with splotches-


Their one fault is that the blossoms face downward, making it hard to photograph them, so I had to prop them up.

But I went overboard the last couple of years buying some new Hellebores with fantastic silver-accented foliage, and white, green, and/or pink flowers that faced more outward,  like White and Pink Marble, Helleborus lividus.  Then there were some hybrids of Helleborus orientalis, like Winter Moonbeam, delightful to behold, green and pink tints, and also wonderful outward-facing flowers.

Pretty, huh?   I searched for them now in the garden, and was only able to find one survivor,

 So I looked them up and found out why.   Some are only hardy from zones 8-10, and plants are only hardy at my house in zones 5-7.   Don't you just hate it when nurseries sell plants that are not hardy in your area and you fail to look them up to find out first?   Pet peeve.  Some of them should have been hardy but disappeared as well, disappointing.  But I still want to get a double Hellebore, I hope they are tougher.

But I also bought 2 hybrids from the Winter Jewel line, big plants with droopy flowers more like my original Hellebores, which are doing great, Apricot Blush-

and Cherry  Blossom, which was developed to have colorful nectaries-



So it seems I can have blooms in mid-winter, thanks to the Hellebores.  I also noticed the beginning of the Vinca blooms, and Muscari and Daffodils about to break buds.  To see what else is blooming in many gardens, check out Garden Blogger's Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens hosted by Carol.

Today I am also linking with-

Wild Bird Wednesday hosted by Stewart M

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

"I never promised you a rose garden"-


Hannah   ©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.  I enjoy visiting your blogs and commenting, but if google+ is the only option I can't do so, but can comment here.

I was given a marvelous Valentine by some who never lets me down- Whispering Hope

56 comments:

  1. Hello Hannah, happy Valentine's Day. Your hellebores are pretty! And I love the cute nuthatch, they are another one of my favorite birds..
    Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy Valentine's day weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen, I'm always thrilled by the blue of the nuthatch and their eye stripes that make them look like bandits as they whisk around. Valentine's hugs!

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  2. I love all your pretty flowers and the Nuthatch and its movements are great. Happy Valentine's Day. Have a lovely weekend

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    1. Thanks, Margaret, it's fun to have some flowers in the garden again. And fun to see your African wildlife.

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  3. Amazing markings on the watermelon.....at first glance I thought it was an ancient stone!
    Beautiful hellebores........

    I like Willie Nelson.....thanks for sharing this.....Happy Valentine's Day!
    Ruby

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    1. Thanks, Ruby, the markings were fascinating and sparked my imagination. I like singing along with Willie.

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  4. Beautiful flowers and a very sweet bird, Hannah. Thanks for sharing and have a happy Valentine's Day.

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    1. Thanks, Linda, I enjoy watching the Nuthatches but they are so fast!

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  5. Lovely Hellebores!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Great bird video, too!
    Have a wonderful day!

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    1. Thanks, Lea, it's great that the birds come to me so I don't have to stalk them.

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  6. Arty watermelon and beautiful Helleborus! As usual I fell for the little bird :)
    Yes, it is too bad nurseries sell plants for a warmer climate! They do in Norway as well. Grrr...
    Happy Valentine's day :-)

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    1. Thanks, Villrose, your lovely bleeding hearts and bouquet gave me a romantic buzz!

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  7. Lovely photos of the hellebores. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Gunilla, we are looking at buying a car for Valentine's day. I enjoyed your horses. Happy Valentine's Day!

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  8. lovely blooms! sweet nuthatch. loved the joy-riding melon, too!

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    1. Thanks, Theresa, the melon art was amazing, and really sparked my imagination.

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  9. Oh, 'Cherry Blossom' is very pretty!

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    1. Thanks, Alison, I'm happy at least some of my Hellebore purchases are successful plants. I enjoyed your garden show photos.

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  10. Hannah, I read somewhere to grow Hellebores in large pots, so the slugs cannot get the leaves, Maybe your frost tender ones would be OK that way, and winter over in a sheltered place, nearly all of mine are under trees, but after reading your words, maybe I need to visit our local plant shop and branch out with some new ones. love those flower close-ups.

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    1. Thanks, Jean, I'm wishing I had kept them in pots, but I'm not really very good at keeping container plants alive. I do have a concrete porch that is good for overwintering somewhat tender plants. My Hellebores don't like sun either so are in shady spots as well. I really want one of the lovely doubles.

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  11. Another great post with many beautiful photos and nice videos to listen to. The birds are always cute. Thank you very much for sharing with Today’s Flowers, and I wish you a very happy week. Also Happy Valentine's Day :)

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    1. Thanks, Bob, I tried putting 2 short clips together.

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  13. A beautiful post Hannah - how about that watermelon art!! Gorgeous.
    I do love your Hellebores too. You never know, the one who sort of failed may just come back a lot hardier next time... it happens! Cheers now :D)

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    1. Thanks, I still can't figure out how it came to be. The one I showed was at least still alive, so I guess there is hope. Perhaps I should consider digging it up and putting it in a pot.

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  14. Thanks, Felicia, they are great plants, except when they're not. Your blue squirrel is cute.

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  15. Today's flowers are beautiful. And so are the feathered friends.

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  16. Thanks, Rainfield, Hellebores are so tough yet beautiful.

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  17. Nice shot/ video of the nuthatch - great birds.

    We have lots (too many!) Hellebores - but I don't think I can send you any!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Thanks, Stewart, the nuthatches are my favorites of the birds that show up, as long as no Cardinals or woodpeckers show up. My older Hellebores, with the splotches, multiply just great, lots of tiny seedlings I can transplant.

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  18. My Hellebores have had big buds on them all winter..I should probably get more...I hope they make it through the current freeze and winds..Cute nuthatch...Happy Sunday

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    1. Thanks, Missy, I should transplant more little seedlings.

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  19. Our hellebores are at similar stages and it's nice to see them isn't it? Love the colouring of Cherry Blossom, it's very pretty. Hope your weather warms up soon, allowing your bulbs to flourish. Lovely bird video too.

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    1. Thanks, Angie, we have been having unusually warm weather, I hope it doesn't trick the plants into too much growth too soon. I love your Galanthus, I'll have to go check for some coming up.

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  20. Hey, you're a poet and don't know it! Love the wonderful hellebores and especially the Red-breasted Nuthatch. We haven't had any this winter. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. I'm nutty and I know it.;-) The hellebores make my winter seem like spring, and I like the antics of the Nuthatch, plus the blueness of its back. It never fails to make me smile.

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  21. Hannah hoping you had a fabulous Valentine's Day. Loved the poem and all those gorgeous hellebores.

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    1. Thanks, Donna, it was fun to let my imagination go on the watermelon. I had a great Valentine's Day, we bought a car for my husband, a Toyota 4runner to pull a trailer, his first foreign car ever.

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  22. That watermelon was a fantastic find, and I love your cool poem!

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    1. Thanks, Connie, I was amazed at the designs and spirals. I enjoyed your birds.

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  23. I like the whimsical patterns drawn on the watermelon by the little bug inside the skin. Your flowers are beautiful. On the opposite side of the world from you I am looking forward to slightly cooler temperatures - it has been a very hot summer and I don't really enjoy having to live in air conditioning for so many hours!
    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. I feel for you, Mick, we had an unusually hot summer last year, after all it was the hottest year ever on planet Earth, so what can we expect this year? I guess we all need to discover new lifestyles.

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  24. Thanks for visiting my blog.
    What a beautiful pictures of the Helleborus.
    Photo 4, 6 and 12 are my favorite.
    Best regards, Irma

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    1. Thanks, Irma, I tried to take them from the side with flash to capture the colored nectaries better, a different accent. I love your little Nuthatches, very close in color to the ones in my yard.

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  25. Loved the poem. It made me think of my watermelon picture from Lanzarote. I hope your weather improves very soon.

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    1. Thanks, Phil, I envy all of you world travelers and your adventures with fantastic birds. Weather here is unusually warm and mild for this time of year. I think it bodes another hot summer.

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  26. Cute poem. It made me smile.

    Nice to see the hellebores blooming. I still have quite a while before mine will bloom!!

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    1. Thanks, they are just getting started but I appreciate the flowers. They are one of those plants that manage to look like lovely bouquets when blooming. I hope spring comes soon for you.

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  27. BEautiful Hannah, the hellebores are gorgeous! Thanks as always for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

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    1. Thanks, Laura, you really are patient with so much ice and snow still, and spring so long in coming. It's great that your poodle enjoys those wintery walk with you to make it fun.

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  28. Beautiful pictures, beautiful flowers. I love the symbolism of watermelon !!

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  29. Those lively purple flowers...they bring so much joy to me. I love the color in the first place, second they don't look so ordinary and I love their distinctive details.

    Thank a lot for the info about the flower I've posted.

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  30. Thanks, Psychelyn, I like your Amaryllis too, so dramatic. I haven't succeeded in getting blooms from mine this year.

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