This looked spectacular earlier in May, but the narcissus were already done by the time Gardeners Bloom Day came around.
Those orange-cup daffodils were blooming at my neighbor’s, between her house and the brook, but too far away from the house to be noticed. I marked them and dug them up and got half for myself for the labor of digging and replanting her half. The hellebore came from Seneca Hill Perennials. I didn’t plan this combination. The daffodils were already there; the hellebore was an unexpected gift that I had to “put somewhere,” and that’s where I thought the hellebore would be happy.
I’ve since surrounded these two with some grape hyacinths that bloomed somewhat after the peak of these two, and there weren’t enough of them to make an impact this year.
What do you think?
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
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Wow! I love that combination, Kathy! It is spectacular! (i’m one for lots of contrast~)
Bergenia sounds like another good choice, but I am not sure if it is evergreen in my climate. Not that it matters too much if it’s buried in snow, which is the usual case in winter.
I like your combination, Kathy. If anything, I’d add something like Bergenia Cordifolia , an evergreen with bold leaves and a nice pink flower.
What do I think? I think that your combination is wonderful. I would add Bergenia, which has bold evergreen foilage and a great stalk of pink flowers.
Kim–my first response, only half-joking, was: weeds. But actually, just beyond the narcissus are some daylilies. The daylilies were there first, and I can’t remember now if they coordinate with the hellebore foliage or not. The hellebore blossoms are history by the time the daylily blooms.
Ted–I’ve got enough ajuga other places, but I really like your idea of a purple-leafed heuchera of some sort. Do you know of any that have spectacular foliage and prominent flowers, like ‘Raspberry Regal’ does?
Purple and orange are always a great combination. How about adding a little purple foliage – ajuga, heuchera or the like?
I like it a lot, Kathy–especially backlit like it is in the first picture. The deep rose of the hellebore adds some nice warmth to the whole scene. What do you put around the hellebore once the daffs die off?
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