Cold, chilly, breezy, not ideal for a stroll in the gardens, but the fresh air was invigorating and welcome. Lovely, shiny dark red leaves on a low to the ground Leucothoe axillaris (Coast Leucothoe), interesting green flowers of a Helleborus foetidus (Stinking Hellebore) and a lovely fuzzy bud, one of many, on the Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ (Hybrid Magnolia), just waiting for the warmth of spring to burst forth into bloom! To quote Percy Bysshe Shelley in Ode to The West Wind: If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
Helleborus foetidus
Leucothoe axillaris
Magnolia x 'Butterflies'