Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Monday, January 16, 2012

GBBD: Thank Heaven For Hellebores!


 Or, I would be sharing the beautiful blooms that are sitting on my desk with you!

Instead, I have these lovely  Helleborus orientalis, Royal Heritage Strain to show you. After my beloved spring ephemeral wildflowers and Hamamelis vernalis,  hellebores are the most welcome flowers in my winter garden.  Just when I've had all the brown and gray I can take they begin their  dramatic blooming.   
Demure they aren't.
They are the funniest flowers and if you look closely
A Mona Lisa smile
you can see their smile.
The kind of smile that makes you wonder
It's the kind of smile that makes you wonder what they are up to...

Are those teeth?

It's the kind of smile that says, "feed me Seymour"!
They sure look like teeth?

But, then, I have a vivid imagination.  Do you?
xxoogail

PS Now, make this garden blogger smile and pop over to May Dreams Gardens, where our delightful hostess, Carol,  has set up the Mr Linky magic carpet ride to take you to more Bloom Day posts than you can imagine.  

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."

28 comments:

  1. Hellebores are such a welcome sight in the winter garden. One of my favorites!

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  2. I will have to get out to see if any of my hellebores have opened. I love your imagination. Mine always my garden more lively.

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  3. They DO look like teeth! Happy GBBD a day late, my friend.
    xxxooo
    Frances

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  4. I was hoping with the lack of snow mine would bloom but they did not...smart hellebores..now we have snow and frigid cold. Lovely Gail..Happy GBBD!

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  5. These are some of the best photos of hellebores I have seen...

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  6. Gail,

    Those grins are fun aren't they. Soon the garden will be full of blooms. We are going to the hellebore festival the end of February at Pine Knot Farm.

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  7. Love your commentary... and of course, hellebores are a favorite of mine since I discovered them several years ago! However, I'd never thought of them in quite the way you describe! Larry

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  8. Beautiful photos Gail! I never noticed their resemblance to Audrey II, though I can see it clearly now that you've pointed it out. Fun post!

    I brought some hellebore divisions to our garden club plant sale last summer. They were quite a hit, being snapped up as I carried them in. When I mentioned there were a few more divisions potted up at home, I had to go back for them too. People were waiting outside when I returned with them.

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  9. I wouldn't put your finger too close to those...just in case. Wonderful photos Gail...happy Bloom Day!

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  10. Hellebores are really great! Love that dark purple color! As soon as the rain stops, I'm going outside to see if mine are smiling.
    I did marathon blogging this week-end - Sky Watch Friday, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Scavenger Hunt Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday - then posted to Marco Monday this morning! Blogging is addictive!
    Have a great day!
    Lea

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  11. That's it! I'm ordering 20-30-100 hellebores TODAY! Even if they do have teeth!

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  12. I can't wait for the hellebore in my garden to open. I think I may be about 2 weeks behind you! Other than the hostas, hellebores are the first flowers that I recognize on my new property. I'm looking forward to seeing what spring brings!

    Love your pictures and happy gardening!

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  13. Ooh, I do love hellebores, too! Mine won't open until much later, so it's a treat to see yours. Hmm, I wonder if I will have any Mona Lisas or Seymours in my garden this spring:) Thanks for the smiles, Gail!

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  14. LOL! I hear them saying the same thing. "Little shop, little shop of horrors..."

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  15. Oh what a beauty Gail. I have my first one in bloom and I am giddy. LOL! Have a wonderful week.

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  16. Wow, those hellebores have quite a lot of personality!
    I only have one little hellebore seedling in my garden, and I'm not sure if it's going to open this year... They are so pretty, though!

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  17. I think they are definitely teeth. Soft ones though with little bite. I will try to be patient for my hellebore blooms. Yours pictures will help me through these short but seemingly long days of winter.

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  18. Your hellebore buds remind me of the plant from Little Shop of Horrors, and I said that in a good way. Happy GBBD!

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  19. Love the hellebores and am gaining more appreciation for them each year. And I like that Mr. Linky Magic Carpet...

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  20. Ha...you're totally right...the look just like Audrey II :-)

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  21. They do look like teeth to me too. Love your close up views.

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  22. Great photos again Gail! I need to check out our hellebores and see if thy are blooming yet.

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  23. I'm so glad you made the "Seymour" comment. It's the first thing I thought of when I saw the grin! Thanks for sharing this beautiful flower.

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  24. What a beautiful variety. I'm new to hellebores having just planted them last year. And I'm thrilled with them! Just wish mine would start blooming now!

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  25. Yes, feed me seymour, that's exactly what they look like! Thanks for friending my FB page, I'm trying to rebuild blog readership, as I've given up on ever recovering my old blog. Google has the worst customer service EVER!

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  26. Wow! Blooming in January down your way Gail?? How lovely!! They are one of my very favorite blooms . . . coming early here too but long off for now. Love the photography!

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  27. I'm glad I made it to this post! I love those hellebore smiles! How wonderful that spring is near for some of us. That means it's a little closer to here now, too.

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson