Merlin, The Hellebore

I'm always a sucker for a mythical plant name. This hybrid is part of the Gold Collection from the Heuger Nursery in Germany. Lucky me, I found it at a local nursery, Durham Garden Center . I planted this in late fall 2015. It bloomed thru early Feb. This plant is once again blooming earlier than my other hellebores which I've had for years. This plant is 12 - 16 inches tall. Blossoms are outward facing. Comparing the January photo to the March photos makes me realize why this was named "Merlin". Tip:

Resist the urge to remove the old foliage on all hellebores until the buds are no longer protected by it. I cut mine back too early one year and we had a snow storm which damaged them.