Nancy Mellen from Hingham, MA has a great attitude towards her garden – her glass (and garden) is more than half full.
"I have included one picture of our antique house in Massachusetts a little more than a year ago. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the snow; by the end of February those front windows had disappeared under the snow. Therefore, I’m loving this mild winter and have included 3 pictures of what is presently blooming. One of my goals has been to have something in bloom all year long. Last year’s winter killed my two native witchhazels: Hamamelis vernalis which flowers in January/February and Hamamelis virginiana which flowers in October/December. I’ve included pictures of their flowers also. Their flowers are missed and will need to be replaced. A death in the garden always presents a new opportunity for something even better and a time to step back and view what you may have been missing. Thank you for the pictures of others’ gardens as it brightens my days."
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Comments
Yikes Nancy, that last photo is a foretaste of what's coming this weekend! Your photos brightened my day! Thanks for posting!
We had hellebores blooming on Christmas here in Michigan--Never happened before.
Me, too, in Ohio, Dale. It was delightfully strange!
Beautiful hellebores! I have some also and they are always such a pleasure during the less colorful garden months. We 19 degrees here this morning in SE Virginia which is really cold for us. Your last picture is just scary. :) Vikki in VA
Your hellebores are quite lovely, Nancy and the pink tinged one is esp. enchanting. I love its delicate veining. The snow shown in your last picture is daunting enough but I can't even begin to imagine dealing with the additional amount that made your windows disappear from sight.
Nancy, Oh gosh! The winter of 2015 was horrific there, yet your garden spirit survived!
I installed one Wisley Supreme witchhazel two years ago and during our warm fall it began blooming in October! This morning's temps of 16 dulled the blossom color.
Your hellebores remind me of what's hiding beneath my heavy leaf cover, which will be removed to expose the flowers beneath the end of this month, that is if we dodge the 20" of snow that may arrive here in Central VA Friday.
Thanks for sharing. Diane
Love those Hellebores; one of my faves. They have such great foliage also.
My Christmas Rose hellebores (H. niger) reliably bloom mid-Nov. in SW Michigan, and since I have them close to a (north) window we can see them from inside until the snow covers them. None of the Lenten Rose or other hellebores bloomed here during the weirdly warm Dec., though. My most reliable winter and Feb.-March blooms are the winter heaths. Thank you for contributing your photos!
It is challenging to have a nice winter landscape. Your hellebores are lovely. I am hoping to add some red stems to my winter garden. I'm looking at Midwinter Fire Cornus. Last issue of FG has some beautiful winter pictures of Mr. Bloom's garden. Hope you can find some witch hazels hardy enough for Mass. I used to live in RI and you all always got twice the snow that we did. My Arnold Promise blooms faithfully for me here in zone 6. And yes I don't believe the zone 7 the US Hardiness map shows now. Our last 2 severe winters ended that fantasy.
Boy, did you guys get hit hard with snow last year! We all seem to be getting reprieve from the last two winters. Love your attitude and love your Hellebores. The breeding programs really selecting some beauties, and we have choices of bloom time, a variety of foliage, flowers that face down, flowers that face up, and all sorts of colors. Such a great plant for the garden.
Beautiful, thanks for sharing. Just want to let you know that H. vernalis 'Sandra' has flourished in my zone 4 (Minneapolis) garden for 10 years. It is in a protected location and emerged without damage from a severe winter two years ago that killed a lot of other woodies in our garden.
Oh, I'm so happy not to get such snow out here, beautiful as it is to look at! The winter-bloomers are what keep the interest going through otherwise dull days. I love that the Hellebores keep blooming for months and have leaves year-round. Your pink-edged one is gorgeous!
Fortunately here on the West Coast we don't usually get that much snow,
touch wood. It is amazing that your windows are covered in snow. Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures of the Hellebores. I have some blooming as well as Snow Drops and Heather. My Witch Hazel bloomed in October and is blooming again.
Nancy, aren't Hellebores a rewarding plant and you have some beautiful ones. I don't think that I appreciated them in our WI garden like I do out here in WA because now they're pretty in the garden all year long instead of hiding under mountains of snow. Speaking of that, I hope that you escape the predicted storm this weekend.
Any plant that flowers in the winter is such a treat, Nancy, your beautiful Hellebores must bring a smile to your face every time you see those delicate flowers braving the cold winter air! I bet you're pretty happy this winter is a bit better that last!
Nature' cure for the winter blues and yours are gorgeous Nancy!
A death in the garden is always difficult and hard to loose a loved plant, but you have a true gardeners attitude Nancy and I do hope for you that these next couple of months won't be so harsh on your part of the country. Love those hellebores!
Thanks for brightening MY day, Nancy!
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