Saturday, February 02, 2013

First of February Hellebores

Folks,

Back to cold weather again this morning the thermometer said 21 degrees at 8am this morning. The pond and bird feeders are covered in ice. My mission today once it warms up more is to build a bird cage for 5 Ringed-neck Doves. Meg's daughter is leaving them in the care of Meg's school for a while. She has had them in her screened porch, I heard last night she has been finding eggs.

Anyway the hellebores are moving right along, noticing lots of babies around them. Sorry if my memory fails me Tina sent me some seeds last year, there are babies where I spread them now! My 'Gold Finch" hellebore which bloomed wonderfully last year has babies too, pretty excited about them.

Here they are from the garden yesterday.

Here is 'Winter's Song' bought it 2 years ago at Southern States, it had close to 50 blooms on it when I bought it. Thought it was a goner by the end of the first season. Season two one flower stalk, it lived IMO barely. Back in good standing this year.

This most likely a Hellebous Niger. We've had it for years, finally it blooms. Lovely foliage too.

This deep red Hellebore was one of the $10 quart Pine Knot Farms un bloomed possible doubles. Well you can see it is not a double, but still a winner, I love it!

This pink is one of our really big helleobore plants, has lots of babies under it.

This is the second year for Helleborus Viridis a species hellebore from Northern Italy. These are supposed to be hard to grow, it dies back over the summer then returns in the winter. This was smashed by a big hickory limb and lived!.

 'Red Lady" it was one of two of our first hellebores purchased here. The other 'Blue Lady' in not blooming yet.
I put this one on my facebook page yesterday. It is another of the un bloomed doubles I got from PKF. Lovely isn't it.

This is the deepest red we have it is called "Birkins" was given to me by my friend Breezy.
 Another PKF un bloomed double. Think I'll get a few more of these mystery plants this year.

 We have had this for 3 or 4 years finally a first bloom 'Swirling Skirts' Wow!

This pink one is small but wow!
Another PKF double, this is the whitest hellebore we have!


Here is one of the 2 tiny cyclamen we bought last year at the PKF Pine Knot Farms Hellebore Festival, it is a 75 minute drive from here. Think we'll get a few more there is a guy that brings at least a dozen different ones. The Festival is February 22 -23 and March 1-2  we hope to go this year.

We it is now 31 degrees out there I'm going to build that bird cage.



21 comments:

Larry said...

Hi Randy... I love all the hellebore pictures and discussion! I'm curious about how you handle 'babies'. I am very tempted to leave them and letting them do their own thing but I know lots of folks don't recommend that... concerns over them the dominating the crown of the mother plant, etc. In my experience, most of them develop around the perimeter of the parent plants. I haven't had much success in transplanting them about to other spots in the gardens or in nursery trays... probably because I get too busy to keep an eye on them. I do long for big swaths of helebores through various parts of the gardens. So... I'd be interested in your thoughts on the little offspring. I have about 100 of the Winter Thrillers series ordered for this spring... the plants I now have from that series, though still small, do haves ome pretty impressive and upright blooms... we'll see what comes of it! Larry

Randy Emmitt said...

Larry, I enjoy your blog and stained glass, I'm a beginner in stained glass myself. My best luck with babies is moving them once they develop mature leaves, I do not recommend moving them when the leaves are still round and smooth. My understanding is that the babies will replace the mature plant which lives 7-8 years if I'm correct. If you would like to trade plants I'd be happy to transplant some babies for you and send them once they are hardened in, and you live in the north so, by then they'd be ready at a good planting time for you. Just let me know what colors you want?

Alison said...

Oh My, your Hellebore flowers are gorgeous! I love doubles, but they are hard to find. That one called Swirling Skirts is amazing. I never seem to get babies from mine, not sure why.

Jen said...

Beautiful blooms, Randy. I'd love to make it out for that festival, but 75 minutes is pretty far for me right now. Every year I kick myself for not putting helebores in. Are you still working in stained glass a lot? I remember reading about it a few years ago (I think) but not anything lately.

Randy Emmitt said...

Alison,

Not sure where I found Swirling Skirts, might have been Southern States.

Jen,
I agree 75 mins one way does need a commitment of the good part of a day. The best day for us to go would be on Meg's mother's birthday... Doing a little stained glass made 4 projects for Christmas Gifts. I have a big ongoing orchid project that in just more than half way done.

Larry said...

Hi again Randy... I appreciate your offer but to be honest, I much prefer 'picking your brain' for your knowledge about hellebores as I have a ton of seedlings here, many of which are from PKF plants. I would feel very badly to have you go to all that effort and then have the plants not make it. There is so much to keep track of here that follow up care sometimes gets forgotten and as a result losses do occur. Perhaps in the future when I get a better handle on the hellebores, I would take you up on your offer.
Yes, I have apparently been trying to move the seedlings when they are too young... I'll wait for them to mature some in the future. I had never before heard that hellebores live only 7-8 years and am interested in learning more about that. I have to presume that leaving seedlings becomes a case of survival of the fittest regarding which seedlings might mature and replace the parent plant? Do you know whether PKF goes out and literally gets rid of the seedlings from their mass planted areas, or cuts back the seed heads before they disperse? That seems like a tremendous amount of work to me as I picture them having acres of plants in the woods... of course, I have never actually visited there and don't know the specifics of their situation.

I look forward to seeing more photos of your hellebores in the future. They are a relatively new interest for me... perhaps 4-5 years now... I think there is a 'whole new world' to be discovered when it comes to these plants!
Take care and thanks again... Larry

Indie said...

So gorgeous!! I only have a couple hellebores blooming, but they are the more standard nodding ones, so it sadly hard to see the blooms. I have a bunch of seedlings from a gardening swap, though, so we'll see what they turn into!

Alice and Stuart said...

Swirling Skirts is my favorite! and also those super dark ones. Nice collection Randy!

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Hi Randy! You have such pretty hellebores! While I like their showy and gorgeous flowers, I also appreciate the modest beauty of tiny cyclomen! Have great February!

Bonnie K said...

Thanks for sharing. I really need to try and plant some. I love your photos. They were very uplifting on a cold winter day.

Serenity Cove said...

Oh.my.goodness!! Swirling Skirts is gorgeous!! They are all beautiful.
I actually have a Hellebore blooming which is very early here in Ohio but it's covered with snow right now.

Les said...

Your hellebores are lovely. They make me want to drive west towards Clarksville later in the month. The Tyler's of Pine Knot Farm are speaking at conference I am attending this week, I hope to hear them.

Appalachian Lady said...

I have got to plant herebores. Your photos are great, really makes me yearn for an early spring.

RobinL said...

My goodness, I can't believe how many different hellebore varieties at your house! I have three, but then again, I have only the tiniest of shady spots to grow them in.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

You always have the best Hellebores, think my favorite in this group is 'Swirling Skirt' though they all are lovely.
One of these years I will get up to Pine Knot Farms for the Hellebore Festival.

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Carol said...

It is hard to imagine my dormant Hellebores under two feet of snow with more falling now, when seeing your beautiful blooms Randy. These flowers are some of my favorites. I do prefer the simpler single ones. Love the name Penguin for a hen. I hope for her sake she learns to stay more on the inside.

Biti said...

So gorgeous!
Swirling Skirts is my favorite! I really want to try and plant some.
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