Garden Centre

Thursday, January 15, 2009

What's in flower in the All Seasons garden?

Well, there's the mahonia I’ve already talked about, and the first snowdrops have appeared too, along with a solitary violet, which I was too soft-hearted to pick, but I hope it’s going to be joined by a few cousins because I love the smell of early violets.

Today was the first day for a hellebore to flower in my garden. Every year I’m caught out by their appearance, they seem to go from not being around to full flower without bothering with anything in between. And once again they really are spectacular. The pure white one is always the first to appear, followed by the dusky pink and green, and last of all the aubergine coloured one will bloom.

There’s just one problem this year: and it’s a very strange problem indeed. This hellebore has appeared, and I have no damn idea what it is! I don’t remember planting it, and I certainly don’t remember ordering it. So I wonder if it’s a hybrid between two existing varieties that live in the garden, or just the result of a seed that’s got carried into the garden at some point. I don’t mind which is true – I’m very happy to find a new beauty in the garden, but I am a bit perplexed …

Final point – to see hellebores at their best, cut the flowers right off the stem and float them in a bowl of water to see the beautifully subtle colour and form at its best. Very decadent.

Labels: hellebores, mahonia, snowdrops, violets

The All Seasons Gardener at 5:43 AM

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