P1060084 AA

I love that colour. I've noticed that the darker colour reds are not as vigorous as the whites and light pinks. All very welcome in the garden at this time of year when everything else is dormant.

Gorgeous colour ,they have been brilliant this year and stay in flower for such a lovely long time ...

The dark ones are just lovely.

that was a good day for it looks more maroon when it is overcast

Another gorgeous clump, good to have some sunshine for a change!

Have you cut off the foliage? There is a mass of flowers held aloft.

Siris yes I take them off some of the named and doubles ,
there are many flowering seedlings that will take me weeks to do but yes almost all of the ones i can reach just to tidy them up need to do the ferns first and then start repotting the lilys

Might take the leaves off my well established Hellebores next year.

I take off most of ours Siris.......

Do you find it weakens the plant? Would just do it to the Hellebores in the shade. The Hellebores in a sunny position (not ideal) don't have many leaves or flowers. Just answered my own planting position query, have to think of replacing with some other late winter flowering plant.

Siris
not sure if the question was aimed at me or Dotty,anyway will give you my reasoning, at the same time as they flower the new leave are already starting to grow removing the old ones allows the plants energy to be concentrated on new growth rather than old which will in a few months be half dead anyway.Does not matter if it is an apple tree or a Iris we prune the old to obtain strong new growth.

Thanks Brian, a matter of timing, taking off the old when one sees the new leaves emerging. My remark to myself was that the H. in the sun don't produce many new leaves and should be relocated.