When I went out today to pick this arrangement, I noticed many flowering plants that were severely damaged by our recent frosts. The Brussels sprouts, which I staked recently, are halfway uncovered and this morning had the finest ice crystals decorating them. The winter veg doesn’t mind the cold, but the flowers are another matter. Luckily, there are some great flowers blooming despite the cold.

For this bouquet, I chose a Hellebore as the main stem, and built the rest of the arrangement around it. Hellebores are stars of the late winter garden. This white one is a cultivar called “Wedding Ruffles;” I bought it two years ago and planted it in a pot. Last summer I replanted it into the garden. It’s the only one to survive this (I replanted four different kinds), and I think because it is in very deep shade and is well-watered. However, that makes it very well hidden and it’s nice to cut the blooms and bring them inside to enjoy them. I wish I could afford a lot of hellebores in all different colors! I love them.

The tiny daffodils are a reliable variety called “Tete a Tete.” They are only about six inches high and they are the earliest to bloom in my garden - the big guys will come later. I also have included some white narcissus, some yellow narcissus, a couple of purple spikes of Salvia leucantha (which I also included in the January arrangement; that tells you how well the do all winter long) , and some snap pea tendrils and flowers. Oh, and some rosemary, which is blooming now, surprisingly.

Altogether, I think this looks like a little handful of early spring.