But of course, you say, a thirty dollar hellebore must be better than any of dozens of seedlings (free plants) that are greatly appreciated and transplanted liberally about the garden. While single flowered hellebores planted years ago are prodigious in providing seedlings, and still quite wonderful in bloom, many newer types have showier double and multi colored flowers (below).

Are these better? Maybe. Yes, I look forward to the frillier blooms, but in the way that any early flower is appreciated, and hellebores are most treasured for flowering in January and February when there are scattered few other flowers in the garden. Newer hellebores tend to flower later, beginning in early March most years, so if the choice was one or the other, I’d take the simple, early flowered types.

Several newer introductions, and newer to me means ones offered in the past decade since I’m not paying top dollar for this year’s introductions, feature flowers that are held more upright than the nodding blooms of older types that must be lifted to be seen. This matters, at least a little, but I enjoy the old timers just as much as ever, and at least for now I consider the nearly endless supply of seedlings to be a plus.

I have not quite figured out why one hellebore thrives and another struggles along, flowering but not growing vigorously while others of similar age are three times the size. I understand that slight differences in soil and sunlight can make a significant difference, but breeding also plays into this. I figure that the genetics are more to blame for the few hellebores that don’t make much of a show, but those are only a few. Single, double, dark, or nearly white blooms are all favorites, but the best are ones that flower when I must dress warmly for my daily garden strolls.