Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Adorable Candidate for Port Commiss… | Something for the Animal-Rights Typ… »

Monday, February 16, 2009

Visual Art / Nerd The Orchid and the Hellebore

Posted by Jen Graves on Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 4:22 PM

2961/1234829972-3281382494_309d01798f.jpg 1. The orchids at the Volunteer Park Conservatory are always spectacular, but right now lots of unexpected flowers (including tropical rhododendrons) are in bloom. Special to artists: you are welcome to sketch or paint here within a few limits. (Call 206-684-4743 to discuss.)

2. Now is bloom time for the Witt Winter Garden at the arboretum. For those who cannot wait for the early camellia (me), there is the hardy but exotic-looking hellebore, which I feel is the most underappreciated of plants. It has evergreen leaves, blooms faithfully in the dead of winter, and looks gentle but is actually thick and sturdy both in leaf and in flower. The hellebore is that rare breed: dependable without being dull. (Aside: The hellebore's perfect opposite—a party flower that's susceptible to everything from slugs to cold weather to hot weather—is another of my favorites, the ranunculus, which, interestingly—for a total nerd—happens to be in the same family as the hellebore, Ranunculaceae.) For extra points look for double hellebores.

^{Hellebore photo by Giles C. Watson}

Comments (11) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Thanks for a real post.

Posted by Stoppin ze throwinze on February 16, 2009 at 4:26 PM

I agree; hellebores are wonderful. And I love Ranunculus, too! Jen, I think I've mentioned this before in comments, but I used to work for a great little company called Old House Gardens (.com!). They offer some amazing bulbs (and now peonies and iris!) that a lot of mainstream garden catalogs don't offer anymore.

My favorite, though, is the peony. It's the state flower of my home state (IN, yo!), but it's also just an amazing plant with lovely flowers.

Posted by Balt-O-Matt on February 16, 2009 at 4:58 PM

THIS SHIT IS GAY

Posted by shits on dicks on February 16, 2009 at 5:01 PM

You are so charming when you write about the flowers.

Posted by homage to me on February 16, 2009 at 5:42 PM

I was just at the winter garden today. it was just lovely. lots of good ducks at the ponds too (wood, pintail, hooded merganser) if you like some fauna with your flora.

Posted by rara avis on February 16, 2009 at 5:47 PM

to non-secularists, it is also named the Lenten Rose, a time which we will shortly enter.

I always thought it clever of a flower to time itself for lent. I give up chocolate, it flowers.

Posted by damnqueerfuck on February 16, 2009 at 6:53 PM

Lovely post. Years ago, I invited a woman I had just met and was smitten with to a tour of the Arboretum Winter Garden. She had been in Seattle a while, but hadn't been to that garden, and had a degree in horticulture. We hit it off. We've been together 12 years as of last week, are married, and have two lovely children.

My favorite winter garden plant is the mondo grass, which I love for two reasons. First, it is awesome to say MONDO GRASS. Second, it is dark to the point of blackness, which is rare in grassy plants.

Posted by Glenn Fleishman on February 16, 2009 at 7:41 PM

Jen,

You missed my Witt Winter Garden tour again!

Posted by Jim Demetre on February 16, 2009 at 9:00 PM

well if you insist on waiting for the Camellia japonica (the typical camellia most people are used to seeing) you have a much earlier camellia you can enjoy back in november/december! Camellia sasanqua (common name is "Noel Camellia") blooms earlier - most of the cultivars i've seen here are red (as opposed to the varying shades of pink and occasional whites of the japonicas) but they do have pink varieties if that's what you're into.

this is the one (not 100% sure but if my many nursery visitis in horiticulture school as well as having worked for a number of nurseries/landscape designers i think it's 'Yuletide') that i've seen the most of around here:

http://flplantman.com/images/camellia%20…

Posted by unemployed horitculturist on February 17, 2009 at 12:46 AM

I love hellebores, too!

Posted by joey on February 17, 2009 at 8:42 AM

Most sasanquas bloom in late fall, early winter; japonicas in late winter, but there is much overlap. I have seen Camellias blooming as early as September and as late as May. Most of the Camellias in the Witt Winter Garden are sasanquas or hybrids and are done for the season. I prefer the looser, single-flower sasanquas over the denser and usually double-flower japonicas.

Posted by Jim Demetre on February 18, 2009 at 8:33 AM