Happy New Year, my friends! Bringing some colorful blooms to you to brighten up your winter day. I’ve shared with you in past years my love for heavenly hellebores. A glorious winter-blooming woodland plant, long-loved by gardeners in the know, they have exploded in mainstream popularity over the last few years. Hardy, beautiful and such a welcome sight in mid-winter, florists have also discovered them as a luscious and romantic addition to bouquets.
Although I grow dozens of varieties on at our woodland retreat in the Pacific Northwest, these all came from the Rungis Wholesale Flower Market outside of Paris. Stopping by the market with my friend Laetitia of Floresie to purchase flowers for a bouquet for my book, Paris in Bloom, I couldn’t resist the colors and textures of these gorgeous hellebores, so they came back to my apartment in the 7th arrondissement with me, along with dozens of roses, anemones, lilacs and ranunculus.
Hellebores can be tricky as cut flowers because they don’t draw enough water up the stem to keep the blooms from wilting after 24 or 48 hours. Some florists wait to cut the blooms until the stamens have fully dropped and the seed pods have formed, giving them several more days of bouquet life. I personally think they are much more beautiful with the stamens still on, as you see in these photos.
An excellent way to prolong them as a cut flower is to float them in a beautiful bowl filled with water. Cut the stems about 1/2” from the flower base, arrange in a large vessel and carefully fill with water. Replace the water daily and these beauties will last a week or more. Their rich, jeweled colors, ruffly petals and glossy leaves are a delight as a centerpiece or on a side table or desk.
I continually marvel at their exquisite shapes and shades. They are truly one of my very favorite plants.
I hope you get a chance to grow or at least purchase some stems of hellebores this winter. You will fall in love with them as I have.
(These photographs were all shot as potential images for my book but this feature did not make it in the final version. So, now I can share with you here. Paris in Bloom releases on 14 March 2017 and can be pre-ordered here right now!)
And you can see more of my hellebore arrangments and photographs in the winter edition of Garden Design magazine. If you love gardens, I highly recommend that you subscribe to this fabulous publication. The articles go into great depth on each subject covered and are entirely ad-free.
Á bientôt!
love,
G
These are just beautiful, Georgianna!
And honestly, I never realized there were so many different colors/varieties. I have one enormous plant that I’ve had for years. Mine does not bloom in the winter (way too cold and snowy here), but it is the first color in the spring, and is always so welcome to see.
Happy day to you, my friend.
xo.
Beautiful flowers and pictures! I am looking forward to you new book this Spring!
Dearest Georgianna,
I’m so grateful to you for your hellebores this morning, with their stunning corollas and different shades they’re such a wonderful gift to me !
I so love them, since they’re the very first flowers of the year, often coloring the snowy countryside here … I started a little collection a few years ago, but I haven’t so many gorgeous different flowers, yet, and in Italy it’s quite difficult to find them…. I do know that in England there are so many nurseries growing only hellebores, maybe because its climate is the most suited for them !
Hope your New Week is off to a good start, my cherished friend,
I’m sending my dearest love to you,
may the week just begun bring much gladness to you and David
Xx Dany
Dear Georgianna,
Your post is lovely as usual! And I have received your package!!! It’s amazing! I am going to write a thankyou email)))
Hugs,
Olga~
Dear Georgianna
Such lovely Helleborus! Small masterpieces, indeed.
I use to make a lot of long scratches on the stamens with a needle and make sure, that the whole stamen are covered by water. Hope it make sense, and I excuse for my bad english!
Hi Georgianna,
Your hellebore shots are so beautiful. I planted some new ones last year so I look forward to a few blooms hopefully this spring.
I have seen your beautiful photos in the Victoria magazine too.
Thank you so much for your visit and good wishes.
Wishing you all the best in 2017 as well.
Carolyn
Hello, Carolyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed the hellebore photos and I’m excited for the new ones you’ll have in your magical garden. Thank you for stopping by and wishing you a fabulous year! G