Rain, weeds and colour

I was greeted by a sea of hellebores, aka Christmas or Lenten Roses. Years ago I acquired three clumps of Helleborus orientalis with purple, white and speckled pale pink flowers and since then they have self-sown and hybridised and now make a wonderful display in late winter.

I especially love the speckled forms, so was thrilled to find for the first time a small clump with beautiful crimson flowers spotted dark red.

A sucker for hellebores I’ve tried a few different species and varieties. ‘Ivory Prince’ and ‘Anna’s Red’ have upright flowers and glossy, silver marbled leaves but are slow to increase, whereas H. orientalis romp along, especially with dolomite and a few shovelfuls of manure in March.

Near the hellebores I found flowering snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii) that have spread obligingly since I divided and replanted a half dozen precious bulbs a few years ago.

I’m always nervous when I transplant bulbs such as snowdrops (and indeed lilies) that must be moved ‘in the green’ so it’s exciting when they survive and flourish. The spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) was also in bloom, but though this bulb is more vigorous and probably more reliable than the true snowdrop, it lacks the pale green markings on the inner petals, as well as the flower’s exquisite shape.

Lots of patches of gold cheered the wintry day. Bare green stems of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) were covered in buttercup yellow flowers, and there were golden leaves too, including the spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata) with gold spotted leaves, and Eleagnus pungens maculata, whose leathery, greyish green foliage is splashed pale yellow.

The jasmine is good against a wall in the high country (it’s perfectly frost hardy) and as it suckers freely will also quickly make a good low hedge. The Eleagnus and spotted laurel, on the other hand, are slow, but you’ll be repaid as they won’t need pruning. On the native front, the gorgeous purple leaf Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana purpurea) is on its way, and Correa pulchella hybrids with small pink and green bells are in full bloom.

A prostrate grevillea (G. juniperina) was a mass of creamy yellow flowers.

Now I must weed, a perfect cure for jetlag.