Hellebores in my parents' garden today.
I quote the following passage because I like the imagery and it amused me - it's the entry for Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) in Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers
"The nice thing about this green-flowered plant [you can see several pictures of it here] is the crimson rim on its flowers, which is subtle and heraldic. I love the demureness of the hanging bell-shaped flowers, each of which is like a piece of Arts and Crafts jewellery, or a wood carving. The finger-like leaves are handsome, too, but the overall habit is a mess; the stems are somehow too tall for their weight, so they often collapse sideways and the plant as a whole looks a shambles."
There was nothing untidy about the cultivated varieties in Mum and Dad's garden which were providing welcome colour when there was little otherwise about.
