March Bloom (and Bud) Day

The usual suspects are blooming away happily indoors, paying no attention to the vagaries of Chicago area's typical mid-March weather. Pictured are oxalis, fuchsias, dragon wing begonias, and African violet. The violet bloomed for three months straight, took a 2-week rest, and is blooming again. The others have bloomed all winter. And the fuchsia is still healthy! I killed the last two with kindness the last two winters. Going easy on watering in winter seems to be the trick. They're thirsty outdoors, but indoors in winter they seem to like drying out thoroughly between watering.

With spring less than a week away, the garden is waking up! No blooms yet, but we have buds - snowdrops and hellebores so far. In the lower right corner, Helleborus niger has its first-ever bud! This is its third year in our garden. As you can imagine, I'm delighted it finally decided to bloom (even if there's only one bud so far.)

A very happy (almost) spring Bloom Day to all, and thank you to Carol for hosting. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit her at May Dreams Gardens.

This is Your Life

This is your host Ralph Edwards speaking, live from Hollywood Theatre. We've had a secret camera standing by, waiting to capture this special occassion. We're here to celebrate one of the greatest moments in the March garden.

Your good friend Garden Girl remembers you from way back last April when you first came to live with her, and she conspired with us to make this day possible. In one fateful moment both your lives were changed as she chose you out of all the hellebores in the nursery. She cared for you lovingly as you put down roots in her garden.

And now, we have a wonderful surprise. Millions from coast to coast are gathered live with us today. Ms. Hellebore Bloom, THIS is your life!

Sunday, March 15th: Bloom Day morning dawned frosty and cold. The world could see you were ready to pop. You knew your time to shine was coming soon. As word went out you were about to bloom, the internets watched in anticipation. They noticed another happy surprise, your sibling, Bud. Come on out Bud, the world is waiting to meet you!

Monday, March 16th was a milder day. Just look how far you've come! As you begin to open, anticipation builds. You've already brought so much pleasure. Millions are waiting for your beauty to unfold.

Tuesday dawned sunny and mild. Although the Garden Girl was busy with her class, you weren't far away in her thoughts. She knew on such a beautiful day you might decide to bloom.

Such a humble thing, you open your petals without fanfare, gazing down with gratitude at the soil that sustains you. Your unassuming beauty is tonic for a troubled world. If you're anything like the blooms that came before you last spring, you'll stick around until fall, making the world a better and more beautiful place.

So Ms. Hellebore Bloom, this is your life! Soon other hellebores will join you, but you'll always be the first. May you sprinkle your beautiful offspring throughout the garden to bloom for posterity. May you live long and prosper, bringing beauty and happiness for years to come.

Sign of Life

The first hellebore to grace the garden was added just last spring. I wasn't sure what to do with the tattered, windburned foliage that, until only a few days ago, was buried under several inches of snow. Before I had a chance to look it up, Frances at Fairegarden, as if anticipating my question, came to the rescue with her 2009 edition of Cutting the Hellebores.

After performing the operation, this is what I found - the first bud of any kind in the garden, and a delightful early harbinger of spring! I'm so glad I decided to dig out the pruners and uncover this surprise. Thanks for the tips Frances!

I think it's safe to say once you've grown a hellebore, you're hooked. Anything so easy to grow that buds this early and lasts as long as hellebore blooms last should have a place in every shade garden! This Paintbrush Series is the first, but by no means will it be the last. Planted last April, the blooms on this plant lasted until late into the fall. I suspect this might be a bit unusual, as I was under the impression hellebore blooms lasted about three months, not the six months of bloom we had last year.

Hellebores are new to me. Although I've known of them and loved them for years, other plants were constantly being added to 'the list,' and I never managed to get one. It was definitely my loss and I'm glad to have rectified the situation! I'm afraid I may never get enough of these beautiful plants. This spring, Helleborus niger (a/k/a the Christmas Rose,) and Mrs. Betty Ranicar, a double white hellebore will also find homes in the shade of the notorious silver maples.