Both of these plants are great! Susan, if you wait until later in the spring I'll bet you will find some helleborus on sale. You can grow from seed but they take so long to mature into flowering plants 3-4 years. If you buy one or two and leave the flower heads you will get a ton of seedlings. These are hybrids plants so they will not be exactly like the parents. There are so many gorgeous helleboues on the market.
Another great plant is euphorbia 'Blackbird' it stays small and holds its color well. They are short live thou. The yahoo coop helleborus was a no go. Who knows what the New year will hold on that front.