Winter Roses

As I've got older I've grown to love the pretty Helleborus flowers that peek their heads out of the ground in the depths of winter when nothing much else dares to bloom. My mother has been collecting a range of varieties over recent years and it has made me appreciated their form and colour along with their tenacity in cold weather.

I have quite a few plants that mum has given me as seedlings from her garden a couple of years ago. We used it to fill in a large space by our front door that was languishing. Mum put them in randomly when they were very small not knowing what colours they might be  and as they take a couple of years to establish I am hoping I might start to see some blooms this year, Mum has about 16 different ones ranging from soft yellow to dark purple - almost black, singles through to doubles. A couple have some flower buds coming so I should start to know what I got from her soon. Its a bit of a lucky dip but when they cost me nothing I am not complaining and the great thing is that no matter what colour they are they all seem to compliment each other well.

(My photo was taken last year of one of the blooms from my garden on a plant that I already had).