Helleborus Party Dress Picotee
Helleborus Party Dress Picotee
Over the many years in which we have been gardening we often had Hellebores. In more recent years they were largely replaced with Summer flowering annuals. I think we were becoming too concerned with this blast of colour achieved in Summer.
It now seems that our love affair with the annual is over. Don’t get me wrong, you will still see signs of them in our garden, especially the front, although more permanency has found its way there also.
Well today its all about Hellebores and how a few of them are bringing delight and interest to the back garden.
Party Dress Picotee started to flower on the third week of February.
The Helleborus x Hybridus Party Dress Picotee is looking good in its first year. It hasn’t bulked up as yet although it has several healthy looking blooms. The white double flowers have just a hint of pink. I am very pleased with this plant and have to confess, perennials are much more exciting and satisfying than the annuals.
Hardiness – Fully hardy and clump forming
Height – 45cm/18″
Position – Sun/part shade
Soil – Any reasonably fertile soil with good drainage, don’t allow to dry out.
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The second Hellebore Yellow Lady is another which we planted in late Autumn of last year.
Helleborus Orientalis Yellow Lady (Lenten Rose) looking pretty good. I posted a picture of this one a few weeks ago, the first bloom opened and it was malformed, I was not very complimentary regarding it. A couple of folks tried to tell me it looked very pretty, a bit of kidoligy going on there then. Well anyway here it is now looking as it should.
The pale yellow flowers blooming in late Winter early Spring are spotted a reddish maroon colour. When the buds develop to a stage where they are about to open, is the time when I like to cut back the old foliage. Generally tidies up the plant and shows them off to their best. Once again plant in sun/half shade. The blooms of Yellow lady seem to hold their heads a little higher than does the Party dress series.
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Here we have Party Dress Purple.
Very striking yet small is the deep purple flowers of this one, well to be quite honest they are tiny. However they contrast very well with Picotee.
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Party Dress Pink was the first of our new Hellebores to flower.
Blooming at the end of January the quality of the flowers surprised me.
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The final one Helleborus Purpurascens has enjoyed a position in several spots of the back garden for many years. Planted in quite deep shade the blooms of this one start opening in mid March.
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A few pictures of what’s in the garden at the end of February
Crocus opening fully on February 28th, 17c, warmest Winter day in 110 years. See how the Snowdrops are just going over.
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The Holly Golden King hanging on to a few berries. This one is my favourite. Perhaps they don’t berry as profusely as some of the others, but my how it lightens up the garden on a dreich Winters day.
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Dwarf Daffodil Tete e Tete opening up their blooms nicely on the first of March.
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I started off the Begonia Flamboyants in the greenhouse at the end of February. Previously we had 260 of these tubers and I would first set them out in trays. I have cut back the quantity considerably making the job less of a hastle. Starting them off directly in the pots will see them through the next eleven weeks or so when it will then be time for bedding them out.
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The flowering currant Ribes White Icicle on the left. The flowers on the 4th of March not quite fully open. It may be a common old shrub, but there is never any fear of it letting you down, and it looks really good in our woodland, positioned where it catches a fair bit of sunshine. Picture on the right is the flower carpet Rose Amber, now! just how evergreen is this one, picture taken on 4th March.
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This early flowering Tulip opened up its first bloom on the 29th of February
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