Plantify Trial Update 4 - Helleborus x Hybridus 'Red Lady'

Its been eleven months since I took delivery of Helleborus x hybridus 'Red Lady' as part of a trial I was asked to undertake by Plantify.co.uk. I have recently written about waiting for hellebore seedlings to flower, but this time I was waiting for a mature plant to flower.  I knew when I received it that as it was not at that point in bud it would be a year before I could hope to see any results from it, so in terms of a trial it was definitely waiting the long game.
It did what a hellebore does for most the year, which is sit around not looking very exciting.  It also did what hellebores do all year, which is when I am weeding around them, it brought me out in hives as it appears that I am allergic to them.  I am not allergic to much, I would have said I was not allergic to any particular plant, but experience has taught me that weeding around hellebores is painful.
Anyway, this winter the excitement happened, the hellebore started to produce buds.  Now I really like this hellebore, the leaves are a fantastic dark purple around where the flower is forming.  It is a wonderful color.
The flower itself is no less wonderful, such a great dark red.  I am very pleased with it, it was worth the wait.