A break in the rain today, which really means it became a softly falling mist instead of a downpour, afforded me an opportunity to spend an hour in the woodland garden, clearing away the last of the leaves to create a welcome stage for the daffodils, crocus, hyacinth and other bulbs which are already shouldering their way up.
But the January stars of the garden are our beautiful hellebores, many flowering already and all showing healthy buds. I adore these plants for their evergreen leaves, exotic blooms, perseverance and their disregard for the vagaries of winter weather.
In the garden, their gently nodding heads require that you get very close and low and carefully lift them upward to appreciate their full beauty. Floating in water, they create a serene and lasting arrangement, somewhat Zen in their purity.
In a week that highlighted the suffering of so many, I find these stalwarts of the winter garden a welcome metaphor for endurance in the face of bleakness, for hope and for rebirth.
(No doubt there will be many more images of them in future posts – they bloom from now until early summer…)
– g
hey sweets! these flowers are really pretty. they're all purple and just so welcoming! it's my first time having a look at such flowers, hehe. they're gorgeous. :) they're definitely so very uplifting. great shots, g!
Lovely photos, those flowers are absolutely amazing!
Oh I must go out and look for mine!! I haven't had a chance to walk around the garden in awhile. I'd love to see your beautiful place some day!
I love hellebores, they're so pretty and such a welcome sight in the late winter/early spring.
So beautiful, G, and such lovely cultivars. My hellebores won't be blooming till almost early March… so I'm happy to see your beautiful blooms. :)
G, those flowers are absolutely stunning, the colors are so pretty. Beautiful post. Have a good night and Thanks for the visit!!!
These are some of the most beautiful flowers. I love the purple hues and nothing seems better than a flower in the winter.
(Forgive me for commenting back in a bunch. I will try to reach you all individually, too.)
Thank you, Sarah!! So happy you like them. I don't think they are very common where you live at all.
Much appreciated, Moa! I was fascinated by these plants when I first saw them!
Oh, yes, Sylvia, I bet yours are coming up, too. It's been so warm, hasn't it?
Thank you so much, Mary. We had three plants when we moved in and I didn't know what they were! Last year I planted another dozen in all colors so can't wait for them to all bloom. Won't be long!
Kristi, thank you for stopping by. It is really cheering to have flowers in winter. I could get addicted to these, as some people do!
xoxo – g
Ohh, Yvette, I emailed you back directly. Thank you!
I thought at first these were silk flowers! They are soooo gorgeous. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a real Hellebore. What better way to be introduced to them than through your gifted photography. Thank you for sharing these lovlies! ♥
This is one of my favorites of yours. Completely magical to picture all those types growing in the mist. Take care friend. Love, Amy
MAGICLY indeed…WONDERFUL delicate pictures…
and the different types of this beautiful flower..! GORGEOUS!!!!
Have a wonderful week!
ciao elvira
I don't even know what to write on this post. Your photography is so gorgeous. Oh my!
You've so eloquently captured both the beauty of these darling blooms and the scope of the situation the world has faced this past week. I too feel that it is always best to look to hope and remain optomistic that somehow all wrongs will eventually be made right again – no matter how dire the situation.
Wishing you serenity always, dear friend,
♥ Jessica
I'm stopping by from the BYW class and just wanted to say that your pictures are just beautiful! The purple flowers in the clears vases are so simple yet stunning! I can't wait to see more! See you in class. :-)
G these are really wonderful, i've never seen flowers like them before, they're so exotic looking for a janurary flower! i absolutely love that arrangement of them floating in water, very dreamy :)
i'm sorry it's been a little while since i was here, i'm finding it hard to keep up with everything at the moment. i always love calling over to see your new work though, your blog is full of the most divine photos it's always a pleasure to look through.
Thank you so much, dear friends! I think I've commented back to everyone on their blogs or via email, but thank you again! ♥
These are STUNNING! So lovely! Thanks for sharing.
Hi K, Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed seeing them. – g
I'm so glad I found your blog! Your photography is unbelievable! By the way, I discovered your blog via BYW. Are you enjoying the class so far?