Deep pink hellebore flower

Time to Awaken

Posted on by Ann Mackay

NB: A note for WordPress Reader users – you need to click on the title of the post again to come out of the reader and go to the post itself. This allows you to see the whole of the top photograph. (Otherwise you may see just a tiny section!)

It’s been wet and miserable outside for a few days, so there’s not much temptation to go outside. However, now there’s a little treat for every time I venture out into the garden. The slight rise in temperatures has encouraged the hellebores to begin to bloom, giving some bright colour under the grey sky.

The photos here are both of the same hellebore – ‘Rosali’ – although the flowers look rather different. (I’ve used photographs from previous years because the flowers of this one are still just in the process of opening.) Looking at the flower colours, you might think they’re different plants, but no, they’re the same one. I must admit, I did wonder if they could really be the same, but last year’s post of Rosali’s flowers convinced me.

I think the difference in appearance is due to a combination of things; variations in the plant from year to year, flower age, and the effect of lighting. The flower in the bottom photo is aging, and you can see the green creeping into what had been the cream colour of the petals. On the other hand, the top photo is of a fairly newly-opened flower, which will probably become more cream as it develops. In the photo, the crimson which usually just edges the petals shows through the whole flower. Probably this is because of the way the strong sunlight is lighting the flower from behind, carrying the deep colour of its reverse right through it.

Earlier I went out to check on this hellebore and was delighted to see a generous mass of dark-coloured buds, with just the first few starting to unfurl. Soon it should have lots more flowers open – enough to make a winter day feel brighter and spring just a little bit closer!

Pink and cream flower of Hellebore Rosali
Hellebore ‘Rosali’ in flower in late winter.
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Published by Ann Mackay

Photographer, mixed-media art adventurer and completely daft about plants.......

18 thoughts on “Time to Awaken”

  2. Both photographs portray their subjects in a good light (figuratively as well as literally). I like the cluster of stamen shadows in the second portrait, and as you pointed out, backlighting in the top picture brings forward additional red from behind. Well done.

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    1. Glad you like them Steve! Light in the garden makes all the difference. Maybe a photographer’s garden should be designed to make the most of the light on the plants… 🙂

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    1. Thanks Jude! They keep interest for a long time too with the way the flowers gradually turn greenish and stay on the plant. I’m hoping that there will eventually be a bit of cross-breeding between the different hellebores – that could be very interesting!

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  4. As pretty as solidly colored flowers can be, those with color gradations, like these, fascinate me. I have a friend who does watercolor painting, and I’ve heard her grump more than a few times about the impossibility of capturing such subtle changes in a petal. What really surprised me was finally figuring out that the green was a sign of aging rather than a sign of ‘youth.’ I assumed the petals were green at first, and then turned rose. But from what you’ve said, the fresh petals are cream colored — is that right?

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    1. Yes, you have it right, Linda. With hellebores the petals (which are sepals really) turn greenish and a bit leathery with age. They stay on the plant for ages, possibly as protection for the developing seeds. Maybe I can photograph some of the flowers at different stages to show how they change…

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    1. This plant is one of the deepest-coloured hellebores I have. I have a very dark red/maroon one but the others are much paler. There are so many buds on it that they’re quite spectacular in their own right. 🙂

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