These little seedlings are Hellebores ! You might notice some right now, under your mature helleborus . Go look !
I cannot tell you how many times I have tried growing Hellebores from very expensive,special seeds…. imported from Germany, England and the U.S.
I never, ever got them to sprout. Mother Nature sure knows how to do it ! Here’s how she does it…..
Hellebore seeds ripen and fall to the ground in early summer. They sit there all season, nobody covers them. They then freeze and thaw a few times and voila- a Chia Pet pops up ! It is usually January when this happens. Each of these little seedlings will need to be transplanted and left to grow for three years. It will then bloom . Some will have flowers resembling Mommy, but there will be great variation as each is a unique clone – with its own DNA. It is fun and rewarding to raise your own crop this way. You can give them away to friends and neighbours, school plant sales etc.
Snowdrops are one of nature’s best anti-depressants. ‘Welbutrin’ without a prescription ! All you need to do is see some snowdrops and you feel better .
The effect is magnified multiple times if they are on your own property . This clump shown here is only about five years old . It started as a 4″ pot of 3 or 4 bulbs, done blooming and of not much appeal. We pop them in the ground here and there and forget about them.
Now we have charming little colonies dotted about. They are true survivors, crammed into pavement corners and even at some table bases.
Their optimism is what I really like, and trust. Yes, Spring really is coming ! They know what they’re doing.
Driving about town at this time of year is exciting because of Snowdrop Spotting ! There are yards full of them , but even more cases of the snowdrop-deprived. The lost humans, the Super Bowl watchers.
These are the bleak tombs of the unchosen. These are the houses with the drapes closed. These are the sad people.
In England, there are ‘Snowdrop Snobs’ . They are beyond obsessed – travelling for miles and paying huge amounts for new curiosities , unusual snowdrops, rare mutations and spontaneous cuties. Good for them ! I will not become one , but understand the passion.
