As usual I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden, with a late post for ‘In A Vase On Monday’. I noticed early last week that my three helleborus niger plants were full of buds and I have kept my fingers crossed that they would flower in time for today’s challenge.

Christmas Hellebore

Flower they did, so I was able to pick plenty of blooms to make this candle arrangement with lots of flowers still left to lighten the garden. The arrangement is made in a stone urn filled with floral foam and I have added a fake moss ring to give height. The foliage is from my favourite shrub Viburnum tinus gwenlian.

Christmas Roses

I originally bought five small helleborus niger plants from the market three years ago, in the first winter we spent in this house. They were planted in a shady border which I expected them to thrive in. The border turned out to be extremely dry and at the end of their first summer I found two had died and the remaining three looked very sickly. I replanted them in a different spot which gets more sun and rain and they have thrived.

Helleborous Niger

This is the second year when I have had flowers before Christmas and hopefully they will go on producing fresh white blooms until the helleborus orientalis take over in February.

Christmas Roses

Despite becoming increasingly busy in the run up to next weeks big event, I am hoping to produce a vase next week. After that I will have to take a couple of weeks off as we will be away in the snowy Alps.