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Flowering from winter days right into mid-spring, hellebores are a lovely companion as I look for the signs of the re-emergence and renewal of life in the garden. For me, hellebores make the time of waiting for spring brighter and happier. Their flowers are with us from the coldest time of the year. They last through that subtle shift away from winter, accompanying us until the warmth and longer daylight of spring has created a rush of fresh growth and bright, new colours.
On a recent visit to Fullers Mill Garden, I took the opportunity to photograph some of their many hellebores. To do so, I had to find flowers that were slightly upturned rather than facing downward. Then I had to wait for the breeze to die away…so there was a fair bit of patience and sheer luck involved! (You see the results here.)
In my own garden, I have planted several newer cultivars. These have more upward-facing flowers than the older hellebores. Apart from making them more visible, this makes them much easier to photograph. (And I can’t resist photographing them, so they’re also likely to make an appearance on this blog soon.)
Winter is, thankfully, on its way out. Spring is slowly taking over and we have had a few days of sunshine at last. After such a wet couple of months, the gradual change to warmer weather is more than welcome. I’m glad to have had the company of hellebores throughout this time.
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 