A something or other beginning with 'H' of Hellebores

[Palustris]

Taken last sunny day in our garden. We have a lot of these.

[Palustris]

A few more!

[ideasguy]

Lucky you!
They are just gorgeous Eric.
They are great material for photographs, and you've done a first class job.

I bought 10 this year from Hayloft Plants. Not named, but they only cost £10
http://www.hayloft-plants.co.uk/Helleborus/Mixed,10-young-plants/prod4215.html?cid=500732-prod4215-E10F
Five planted out immediately, 5 potted up and placed on greenhouse staging (hedging my bets)

[Palustris]

Daughter bought me 10 Double flowered ones as plug plants from Thompson and Morgan a couple of years back. All were double and are flowering nicely.
Otherwise many came from Farmyard Nurseries in Llandysul. The rest were picked up at an open garden near us and of course dozens from self seeding including the first photograph one.

[ideasguy]

I'm heartened to hear that the double flowered ones have done well Eric, so I will add to my collection.
Very often (in other Genera - e.g. Dafodills), large or fancy cultivars have down sides - e.g. the double blooms are too heavy and the flowers hang unnaturally.

Nice to see they self seed! Do the double ones also self seed, and come up as doubles?

[Palustris]

Sadly, no. The majority of them are doubles because the reproductive parts have become petaloid, thus they are sterile. However, just a few, more semi double than fully so do produce seed and some of them produce double flowered plants. I am waiting on one which is very similar to picture no 1, but the outer parts are all dark green and the inner petals are red. Not flowering yet and the ssseds it produced last year will not flower for a few seasons.
All (except some very expensive new hybrids) Helleborus x orientalis hand their heads, shame really if not in shame!

[ideasguy]

Thanks for that Eric. They sure have nothing to be ashamed of!

Just had a look out the window - all my spring flowers are flattened with the rain (thankfully we didnt get that snow carpet) but they spring upright when the rain dries off, especially Crocus and Snowdrops.
 

[Palustris]

Just realised I had posted one picture twice.