Friday, February 15, 2013

First Hellebore Blooms

It was the last week in January when I saw my first hellebore bloom. I should have taken a picture of it, but for whatever reason I didn't get it done and then it got covered with six inches of snow. Hellebores are tolerant of frost, but these have some damage due to repeated freezing and thawing which has become the norm around here. The hellebore I saw didn't have all the spots on it like these do.


  They're not fully open and they might not be very pretty, but that first bloom in the garden always gives hope that spring is right around the corner.



 This is a baby from one of my plants. It takes them 3-4 years before they bloom.

I noticed a few of my plants had all or some of their foliage nipped off. I thought they were deer resistant. I can tell the stems are there but nothing else. I don't know if the deer will eat them if they get desperate or what else it could be. I've never had that happen before.

Question: What is the first thing to bloom in your garden in the spring, and which do you look forward to the most? For me it's the hellebore's that bloom first and the one I look forward to the most is Virginia Bluebells.

Linking to: Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

9 comments:

  1. Your hellebore is beautiful. They really are tough little plants to withstand the snow and cold, then bloom beautifully! How fun to have a baby one!

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  2. Looks wonderful to me. I do have my Heather blooming though but it does through the Winter, but that is very pretty.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  3. February is the month of Hellebores this bloom day. I've seen them everywhere on blogs, all beautiful, as are yours.

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  4. Lovely photos...and I look forward to the Eastern Redbuds blooming every year.

    Happy GBBD!

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  5. Your Hellebores are beautiful!
    Thanks for the information about the 3 - 4 year wait for first blooms. I was wondering about that as I have new ones coming up around the edge of the flower bed. They ae certainly worth the wait!
    Have a wonderful week-end!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  6. Hello again!
    You asked about my Hellebores - I don't know their names. I got them from my Mother-in-law, and she just called them Lenten Rose. I don't know where she got her first ones. When the blooms first open in mid-January, they are a light greenish white with just a touch of pink. As the blooms mature they develop more color, though I notice that the buds that appear in February already have the darker coloring. Do your Hellebore blooms develop more color as they age?
    Cold, 40F now, with forecast down into the 20's tonight. The Hellebores just keep on smiling!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  7. I was surprised to see you in Ohio. When I saw the Smokies on our site, and Helebores in bloom, I thought you were much farther south. It looks like you live at a beautiful location. Helebores are still under snow here and will be at least another month if the weather is 'normal'. I suspect we have a new normal now though.

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    1. I'm in northeast Ohio about 1 1/2 hours south of Cleveland.

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  8. Amazing what a mild winter some of us have had... We have had SOME cold weather --but not too much. I thought last year was mild but this one is even milder....

    This morning I saw a couple of Bluebirds checking out the nestbox ALREADY... Mercy me..... It is early for nesting... Who knows!!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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