The Christmas Rose in April

The Christmas Rose, Latin name Helleborus niger, also known as the hellebore, is currently in full flower in our garden on April 1. In my experience this flower has never really deserved its Christmas appellation, usually flowering in January, February and/or March.

I certainly don't recall it in bloom as late as April. It's probable that its shady location has delayed its flowering. Whatever the reason, it is putting on a good show in a spot where later flowering perennials usually appear. These straightforward photographs show the characteristics of the plant, but don't make a photograph to compare with this shot I took indoors of a hellebore from which I cut the flowers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Rhododendron or azalea?

I've never been sure how to distinguish a rhododendron flower from an azalea. Consequently, when I brought up this photograph of a bloom taken in the park at Great Malvern I didn't know how to caption it. A quick internet search soon put me right: "On average, rhododendrons are larger shrubs than azalea plants, and they have larger leaves. Also, azalea flowers usually have five stamens, while the rhododendron flowers have ten. ... Finally, unlike rhododendrons, many azalea plants are deciduous." A quick count of the stamens shows this is almost certainly a rhododendron.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Dahlia bloom

There are gardeners who spend their lives growing dahlias, showing them in competition and breeding new varieties, searching for the elusive example that will take its place among the favourites of the type. Then there are those like me who see little to attract them in beds of the showy flower, preferring more subtle species that suggest themselves to the eye rather than impose themselves. But, those words not withstanding, I can be tempted by the spherical, almost architectural, structure of some of the dahlias and a single bloom appeals to me much more than the flowers en masse.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100