I went out to do some pruning and my sweep of the garden when the hellebores caught my eye.  In my other blog Travelindigo, I have a picture of a swath of these.  Hellebores are a very short lived cut flower but create lovely long lasting stands in the garden.  I am always surprised to see them in wedding bouquets because of their tendency to wilt…perhaps they are only in the photos!

 

Picking various things during my stroll led to this woodland bouquet for which I could find no suitable vase.  This vintage silver coffee pot, from my mother-in-law’s mother, seemed to fit the bill.  One year we used a mix and match collection of silver like this, provided by the bride’s family, to create personalized centerpieces for a wedding. A small bouquet like this would also be lovely for a woodland wedding and a bride that wants a quieter statement.

The hellebores are subtle beauty:

 

 

The fuzzy bits in the middle, the stamens, turn into the seedpods. For most long-lived cut hellebores, cut the flowers when that has happened* and immerse them in warm water for a bit. But don’t expect longevity. If they last overnight, or even a few hours, count  yourself lucky.

 

*You can see a subtle example of this in the middle photo of the hellebores.