A Winter Jewel... Purple Hellebores.

The fleeting flurry of snowflakes such as we experienced last week probably does not represent the arrival of Winter, but perhaps the beautiful display of 'seasonal' blooms at the garden centre heralds it in a more fitting manner, and none better than the hybrid Hellebore, with its wide range of forms and shades of colour.

Although the Christmas Rose variety - Black Hellebore (Helleborus niger) - typically has white flowers with golden/green stamens and pistils (the black reference indicates its dark roots), the other types offer jewel-like colours, set amongst dark or even vibrant green leaves.

The flower heads elegantly droop down, discretely hiding their delicate understated beauty, and making it rather challenging to take a photograph without contorting yourself!

What are assumed to be five petals are in fact sepals or 'petaloid sepals', part of the calyx or outer protective whorl, akin to modified leaves. True petals, meanwhile, are part of the corolla.

Within these 'petals', the colours are not uniform but vary, with different shades feathering out from the slightly darker vein-like structures or likewise, the petal form may have picotee edges, tinged with darker colours. The effect is mesmerizing, all the more so when set against the contrasting colours of the tubular-shaped nectaries.

Flowers that are ready to seed take on another form, with their elongated pod-forms reminiscent of a strange Triffid head! It is difficult to imagine that the Hellebore is part of the humble buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family.

Just seeing these beautiful plants fills me with an almost silly sense of happiness, and buffers me up against the apprehension I feel with regard to the onslaught of high-tech.

I can't help but believe that the further we go from Nature - for all its beautiful cruelty - the more we lose our humanity, and so with that in mind, the sight of these gem-like plants that I did not even need to buy in order to appreciate and marvel over, acts as a magical balm.