Sunday, February 28, 2010

Flowers in February~ Hellebores

I've never been much of a winter gardener. The cold air and wind makes my nose run and my head ache. It is nice however to have a plant or two with something going on when the mood strikes to take a brief walk with the camera. This is the first year that I've had flowers on my Bear Claw Hellebore- Helleborus foetidus. It was planted in 2008~ a swap plant~ and I really enjoyed the foliage in its own right. The large bloom stalk began forming in the fall and these flowers may have been here for a while before I discovered them. This first photo was taken last Saturday...





...and these yesterday.










My one mature Helleborus x hybridus is still in bud.






I found some really cool scripts for my PSPX2 yesterday. I thought this one was pretty cool on the Hens and Chicks.



Our dogs are rather spoiled by being able to do their business indoors on p-p-pads and so they don't spend alot of time outdoors during the week either. I let them out of the back door onto the deck all of the time because Chewy will not go down the steps into the yard and so far Meike too~ knock on wood. Here are a few shots of the duo from yesterday.









My mom lost her best friend to ovarian cancer yesterday. This is in honor of Gail ~ she will be greatly missed.

4 comments:

  1. I thought I was the only wimp and not gardening in the winter. My nose is like Niagra Falls in the cold. Thank Gawd for tissue (and long sleeves in a pinch). lol

    I wish I could get excited about hellebores. Some people go nuts over them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jim! I guess it would be kinda silly for me to go nuts over hellebores,lol.

    Your comment is greatly appreciated~ I'd swear sometimes I can hear my voice echoing in cyberspace...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm still bucking the trend with no Hellebores. My nose runs all winter too and it drives me nuts.

    It's great that Chewy and Meike get along so well. When we got Molly (JRT) the family dog (Cairn Terrier) hated her at first sight and acted suicidely depressed for weeks. She was not ignored either. It was eerie.

    I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your mother's best friend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this variety of Hellebore and your perspective of viewing is unique... great photos. Your little Meike is adorable. It is always so hard to hear of someone lost to cancer. I am sorry for your mom's loss. Your last photo is a stunning remembrance for her.

    ReplyDelete