The Hellebores have finally started blooming in my garden. I'm presenting the first one today for In A Vase on Monday, to meet Cathy's challenge to find something in the garden to plonk in a vase on Monday. Each flower is accompanied by buds for more flowers, so I only cut one flower, and I tried searing the stem in boiling water to seal in sap and keep the flower fresher longer but didn't notice much effect. Here is the Hellebore in my small pinched vase, with some berries from the evergreen shrubby plant Pernettya mucronata, and sprigs of Vinca 'Wojo's Gem'.
I also had a small lidded bowl I wanted to try them in-
I'm always impressed with the green ring of nectaries in the center of the Hellebore flower. My Hellebores were pass-a-longs from a friend and come in a range from white to deep blackish purple, most with speckles on the petals as here. They are one of the super adapted flowers for this climate since they are evergreen with leathery leaves, like the Pernettya, bloom at a time when little else is blooming, and self-sow to an amazing degree so have filled in an area well with many differently colored flowers.
Searing the flower stem didn't seem to help much with one flower, perhaps it would be more successful with a bigger stem but I don't like to cut the small buds as well to get a bigger stem. So I'm enjoying the flowers outside for the most part. So many have an early spring or winter bloom, so I'm happy to finally have some flowers! Hannah
Today I am linking with-
In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy
Today's Flowers hosted by Denise
Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Magical Mystical Teacher
I Heart Macro hosted by Laura
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I do love hellebores and yours is lovely, and made more beautiful still by your floral arrangements and pretty vases. Happy Monday and happy (Chinese) New Year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dorothy, I love the different hellebore colors and the speckled petals! The challenge was dealing with such a short stem, and the flower did get floppy toward the end.
DeleteBeautiful hellebore and perfect arrangement, stems, and vases so suited to each other.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jean, I find little vases very useful, it seems like I need them a lot.
DeleteThis is a lovely hellebore and I love how you have arranged it. Thank you for sharing with Today's Flowers Hannah and have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise, I like the Pernettya berries with it.
DeleteI have nothing against your pinched vase but I think the lidded jar works better. The pale pink pernyetta berries are spot-on to accompany the hellebore but I don't think I have come across a named Vinca before - is it invasive for you? I do sometimes sear the stems of my hellebores but in practice I am not convinced it makes any difference
ReplyDeleteCathy, Wojo's Gem is a wonderful Vinca but close to my least vigorous, so it is not very invasive, it is more like I wish it would grow better, though I put it in a ring around one tree surrounded by small logs and it filled in very well there, compared to in a long narrow bed.
DeleteI too like the lidded vase Hannah, the colours work so well. I love blooms from crosses...when the first one emerges it is a suprise, often very lovely. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Noelle, I like all the colors but my favorite and the one most people like is the very deep purple. It has made lovely full clumps in some places. I also like the pink with purple leaf splotches.
DeleteLovely Hannah. It's nice to explore different vases. Some arrangements can easily be swapped around from one vase to another and they work equally well. Others seem especially at home in one. Pernettya is new to me. Works great with your Hellebore.
ReplyDeleteI guess everyone likes the color matching on the tiny lidded vase. I googled my Pernettya, I guess I was assuming it was native here but actually comes from the mountains of Chile and Peru. The name has been changed to Gaultheria, which I think is strange because it is not like the other Gaultherias I have, like the native Salal. The berries are edible but mealy and insipid. Some have red or white berries, I think the red would look better. Mine tend to get tall and rangy but I probably just don't know how to cut them back properly.
DeleteHello Hannah, the hellebore is very pretty. I like the color too. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your week ahead!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eileen, I'm so happy to have the Hellebore blooms starting up.
DeleteWhile both containers are lovely, I am partial to the lidded one...the flowers match perfectly...and what a celebration of your garden to use the hellebores that are blooming!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna, I'm partial to evergreens and especially those adapted to our climate and carefree, so both the Hellebores and Pernettya (Gaultheria) fit the bill.
DeleteThis time of year is so full of promise and new growth! Hooray for hellebores and their cheerful reminder that the cavalcade of spring is just around the corner! Love both of your containers but I'm fond of lidded things, boxes, jars, etc. so the second one especially spoke to me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Peter, it's a cute little box. You are about the only person I know who has featured Pernettya on their blog. It's a tough plant but I never know quite how to prune it.
DeleteThe little lidded vase is just perfect (we all seem to be in agreement on that). I did the boiling water treatment on mine yesterday and they seem to be holding up better than in the past, before someone tipped me off to that method. The boiled part went very limp, so perhaps 20 seconds is too long.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a short stem, it probably was not long enough for the boiling water treatment, when I don't have to cut off little buds later I will try it again on longer stems, Ricki. I just love the Hellebore season!
DeleteThat's an exceptionally pretty hellebore, Hannah, and the pinkish berries complement it perfectly. The Pernettya is new to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kris, I don't know if Pernettya would like your hot weather, it comes from the mountains. It keeps growing in a semi-shady spot under cedars without much supplemental water if at all. I thought the berries matched the Hellebore well too.
ReplyDeletePurple is a very beautiful colour.
ReplyDeleteThis makes Hellebores look so pretty.
Thanks, Rainfield, the little vase matches the purple of the hellebore so well, it really dresses it up even more.
ReplyDeleteHi! The Hellebore flower is very beautiful. I like your colorful vase too. I enjoyed your former posts too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Minoru, there will be more Hellebore flowers coming up, as they are the only flowers blooming now here.
DeleteGorgeous! I love hellebores, but I'll have to wait until May for them to bloom here.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gunilla, you must be very patient. What do you do while you are waiting?
ReplyDelete