Never seen a red hellebore, is it one of those with fancy flowers?

No..just a typical green hellebore..isn't it strange?..this pic was taken in front..just green leaves..the strange one's in back..I've had these for years..always the same until today..

That's a pretty color. Could it be a reaction to the cold? Maybe this is a newer leaf cluster that was forming as the cold hit it.

it is pretty..wouldn't the cold affect multiple sets of leaves?..who knows?..it surprised me..12 years of green and now some color!..back to say I found an article about winter reddening in evergreen species..too scientific for me..difficult to understand but what I gleaned from it..they don't fully understand it!..light, temperatures, drought, leaf angles, leaf surface ratios, etc..didn't mention hellebores specifically..sandyslopes mentioned cold temperatures..we've been above average but did have 2 very cold nights a few weeks ago..I was too busy and never noticed anything until today..wonder when it happened?..I'm thinking this is unusual..

windymess..I agree that a lot of people miss what's going on in their gardens..I try not to be one of them..

Well, even we gardeners miss out sometimes when we're busy... but what I was mainly thinking of at the time: the people who live in the urban core (where I work daily) and who live in a kind of concrete environment... many don't experience much of nature, and are actually sometimes a bit afraid or put-off by nature - the bugs, birds, dirt, plants and trees.... Many just don't know how really awesome it all is.

But nicholsworth - your burgundy leaves are really pretty! Bet they'll be back to normal in the spring.

windymess..agree..people (many are children) live in cities with little to no contact with nature..that's not for me..it's funny the bugs and dirt in my yard don't bother me in the least..but I think public spaces are gross!..I think this hellebore is a freak of nature..will keep my eye on it and post updates..

Someone had a hydrangea with the same Fall coloration this year:

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/violet-fall-leaves-beautiful-or-sign-of-problem-or-both-dsvw-vd~4958024?n=8 [(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/violet-fall-leaves-beautiful-or-sign-of-problem-or-both-dsvw-vd~4958024?n=8)

Pampered Peeps..I saw that post too..very pretty..but what's so odd about my hellebore is that it's an evergreen..

Who the heck knows what's going on anymore with this crazy weather... Several of my sedums are popping up with new growth right now, and that's after they were cut to ground right after the first frost and then we had at least one other frost since. It's been too warm and sunny in between though, these plants are just as confused as I apparently am. I feel bad for them putting up new growth from the ground when it's probably just going to be killed soon. And it isn't like I cut these too early in the season...like I said it was actually right after the first frost kinda turned everything to mush anyway.

Lol, I went outside today, and my newly-planted grape hyacinths are coming up!!!!

gone now but I had part of a hosta bloom (still purple) hanging on 4-5 days ago..

Interesting that all 4 of us are in zone 6a (both of the purple-leaved plants and these early risers)...

Agh, don't tell me your grape hyacinths are already coming up! I planted new tulips right before our first frost and will have to check up on them now (they're at a relative's so I'll have to look when I go over there again). Kinda worries me that bulbs are acting confused like this too since normally they seem to "know" when to wake up even when kept in a box through the winter. But I certainly can't blame them for thinking it's Spring with the sun and rain we've had in-between these frosts. I am afraid that all these wake-sleep cycles are going to mess with the plants too much and end up killing them for good come Spring. On the one hand it's kinda "nice" that tropical perennials such as gladioli, dahlias, and cannas are able to overwinter outdoors now in zones that they previously could not, but it's kinda worrisome for all the plants that need a good (cold and long) winter chill/sleep to stay strong. Anyhow, am afraid we'll start losing more and more of our plants to rotting and weakening in general.

I'm not as surprised about some of my brand new sedums being confused right now, but am a bit surprised that some of my older/established sedums are confused too.

I remember Thanksgivings were freezing when I was a kid..I wanted to play outside with my cousins and our parents said "no..too cold"

my variegated hellbore looks stellar right now. Did see some blooms on the forsythia today as well, 2 diff cultivars in bloom.

Wow forsynthia blooms in Dec?..I have forsynthias at the back of my lot and haven't seen them up close lately but I bet they're not doing anything..I have 2 hellebores like yours (marbled leaves,burgundy stems) and mine look nice too..but to see a set of burgundy leaves on my green ones was surprising..

My hellebore blossom shoots are coming up in Denver

sunnywood..is that earlier than usual?..would be early for my hellebores..