The cold snap has come... maybe all it needed was some teasing from me? In any case it has bitten with a vengeance and the apricot and nectarine trees are bare, the apples are finally starting to look a bit shabby.
I won't pretend to like Winter, and I'll admit to a touch of melancholy on cold dark days. So when I find a reason to celebrate the cold, I'll cling to it.
This is the beautiful Hellebore, or Winter Rose. I planted a few of them on the shady side of the house and almost forgot they were there. One was just a slip collected from the garden of a friend, and I doubted it would survive. Now it has grown incredibly, and has plenty of lovely, delicate flowers. I love the way they hang upside down like lanterns, but the inside is lovely too.
Helleborus sp.
