The Color of Hope is Green

Gruen ist die Hoffnung.....

I am ignoring the weather and...

...the 'Grey'.....

and enjoying our winter-flowering shrubs....

like this evergreen Viburnum tinus (Laurustinus)...

 bringing here pleasure and some 'Freshness' into the house.

*

Getting exited by the first flower-signs.....

of our  Helleborus foetidus......

which multiply/reproduce itself.....

 spreading out quite nicely.....

allover in our garden,

and continues flowering into summer

here in full flower.

*

Waiting for...

 the withe Helleborus orientalis ...

to come into flower,

and looking forward to...

our Helleborus hybridus, flowering from April/Mai to July

*

HELLEBORES

"....on l'appelle Rose de Noël. Mais elle ne ressemble pas

a la rose, pas même a la petite églantine émue et rougissante,

sinon qu'elle a cinq pétales, comme tout le monde."

Colette, Pour un herbier 

 19th century illustration of Helleborus niger

Several legends surround the hellebore;

in witchcraft it is believed to have ties to summoning demons.

Helleborus niger is commonly called the Christmas rose,

due to an old legend that it spouted in the snow

from the tears of a young girl who had no gift to give the Christ child in Bethlehem.

*

In Greek mythology, Melampus of Pylos used hellebore to save

the daughters of the king of Argos from a madness,

induced by Dionysus, that caused them to run naked through the city,

crying, weeping, and screaming.

During the Siege of Kirrha in 585 BC, 

hellebore was reportedly used by the Greek besiegers 

to poison the city's water supply.

The defenders were subsequently so weakened by diarrhea

that they were unable to defend the city from assault. (ohhps!)

*

Helleborus orientalis prune sombre

- COTE SUD December 2000 -

"Cueillie, ses coquillages sensibles desserreront leurs joints

a la tiédeur d'une chambre, délivrant la houppe des étamines

jaunes, heureuses de vivre et de diverger..."

Colette, Pour un herbier

Helleborus orientalis double blanche

Helleborus orientalis poupre sombre

- COTE SUD  December 2000 -

- COTE SUD December 2000 -

- COTE SUD December 2000 -

*

The Color of Hope is Green !