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| For some reason, I've always been under the assumption these are difficult to grow or at the very least difficult if you don't have the perfect spot for them. Anything less than perfect and they will croak in short order. I haven't heard them mentioned all that much on this forum which only leads me to believe the above is true. Yet, I've seen a few threads from folks who rave about the whole lot of 'em and the photos of flowers have been spectacular. So, am I wrong? Or are there tons of closeted Hellebore growers out here, but they just don't talk about them? Kevin |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mistascott 7A VA (My Page) on Wed, Jan 9, 13 at 16:08
| Hellebores are very tough plants -- in fact I might go so far as to list them among the toughest perennials. Just look at their survival strategy: They choose to flower either during the dead of winter (H. niger) or in late winter/very early Spring (H. hybridus and others) which means they actively grow during a time when most plants wouldn't dare try such a thing. For the most part, they tolerate and even thrive in pretty rough conditions (cold, lack of water, lack of sunlight, lack of soil nutrients). There is a separate hellebores forum, which is probably why you don't see much mention of them here. |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Wed, Jan 9, 13 at 16:19
| Well, it could also be because Hellebores have their own forum here on GW! ;-D Not sure it is very busy though... I know what you mean. I've had that "those seem like they would be soooooo hard to grow!" moments with various plants too. Sometimes they do turn out hard to grow, but most often I read misleading info or simply got it stuck in my head for some reason that they were when there was no basis for that assumption. Guess I'm not really the one to comment on Hellebores, as I am still trying to figure them out myself. First one I bought in Seattle was H. argutifolius, in my early gardening days when I didn't know there was such a thing as a Lenten Rose NOT hardy in my zone ;-) Needless to say it never did much. Couple years ago I tried again and bought a 'Metalic Blue Lady' in Seattle. I think it may have resented the slight dip I planted it in, or they may requite more sun than the half shade I planted it in. It acutally dwindled in size, which I have never heard of a hellebore doing before, LOL. I also started some plants from 'Black Beauty' seeds and they are doing well in another area. Hoping it fares better, cuz' I could see myself buying a few more Hellebores in the future (wink, wink) ;-) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hellebore forum GW
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| Yup, that's where I saw all the wonderful photos - The Hellebore Forum. I also forgot to say, I did try them once, but they all died. Someone sent me a whole bunch of good-sized seedlings, but they didn't survive a year. But they also came from Georgia and I'm in MN and I have no idea if the plants were even hardy in my zone. CMK I know what you mean. For some reason I never bothered with delphiniums because I just assumed they would be "difficult". Then last year someone started a thread about them and I suddenly remembered my grandmothers huge stands of ancient plants. Delphs are now on my spring order list. Kevin |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a CT (My Page) on Wed, Jan 9, 13 at 16:55
| I have a half dozen or so various ones picked up on half-price sales here and there over the past few years. When I saw my DIL's gorgeous plants 5-6 years ago, I decided to give them a try. All are planted at the northeast corner of my house where they get partial sun. They seem happy and those flowers in early, early Spring are a most welcome sight. I haven't found them to be very labor-intensive. Growing near them are other part-sun perennials, including hosta, coral bells & lady's mantle. Part of the reason they're often considered difficult to grow could be because they grow very slowly. So far one of the best features is they need little to no attention/care. |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A VA (My Page) on Wed, Jan 9, 13 at 19:51
| Kevin, Hellebores are borderline hardy in Zone 4, which is where you really are, right? If you do plant them, I wouldn't do it with seedlings but I would instead invest (yes, they are expensive(!), so it is an investment) in some well-established plants because I understand the winters up there can be pretty brutal. --Scott |
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| No, you're not - I don't have any, either |
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| I started off with inexpensive Hellebores (for instance, garden centers and even places like Lowe's sometimes have them on sale late in the season). I have a couple of Barry Glick's varieties that I found somewhere cheap. All have done well and seem very tough, which is good since they have to overcome inferior clayey soil in my front bed which gets a little sun but is mostly bright shade. They've reseeded well too and hopefully this spring I'll be able to dig up and replant the most vigorous young seedlings. I enjoy the late winter and spring flowers. I'm still not hooked enough to pay a premium for expensive varieties. Maybe I'll get up the courage to order seeds, which are supposedly problematic if they aren't fresh and given just the right combination of warm/cold stratification. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 9:18
| I did try them once, but they all died. ==>> BINGO!!! .. they are on my list of foo foo carp that does not grow.. and i would bet its my sand ... they were even on irrigation ... and as to the reply above.. who would list them among the toughest perennials... i say.. PSHAW ... and you can write that down.. lol ... [how indignant do you have to be to yell PSHAW ... lol] see my post on plants left behind ... life's too short ken |
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| Scott, Well, according to the charts I am a zone 4, but as I said in a previous thread in my little corner of the city, it's behaved like zone 5 for over a decade. However, it seems like I'm finding more and more listings in catalogs stating some at least are hardy to zone 4. On the other hand, I have never seen these sold at local nurseries I've been to. Maybe I should take a clue from that. Kevin |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 15:34
| -Eric, give it a try! I found my 'Black Beauty' VERY easy to grow from seed. You are right that Hellebore seed is supposed to lose viability reasonably fast. I got mine directly from a GW trader, 'hot off the pod' you might say ;-), so that wasn't an issue. I planted them as soon as I got them (start of July I think, of 2011) in a roomy container with nice soil and lightly covered with grit. Early in 2012, with snow still on the ground, they sprouted. Practically no work on my part starting them, aside from watering of course. You might try asking on the Hellebore or The Seed Exchange forum on GW around harvest time. Or if you don't do trading, you can buy seed from Pine Knot Farms (seed info very bottom of page). They are rather $$, but it is a well respected company, so I am sure you would have good luck if you bought seed from them. -Kevin...sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread any ;-) |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A VA (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 16:32
| Ken, you have given up on so many plants, how do you have any left in your garden? (I kid of course). Hellebores are generally regarded as tough plants in gardening circles. They are not fussy and are actually adapted to take the lowest end of nature's totem pole. Kevin planted some fairly tender-sounding seedlings in a borderline hardy zone for Hellebores, which might explain why they didn't survive the winter. I feel that Hellebores are a must for any garden; there is nothing quite like them. Is there another perennial that blooms during winter and holds its blooms so long? I think they will grow in borderline Zone 4 areas, but if you get a particularly tough winter, some may perish. Then you have an excuse to try another cultivar. |
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| I don't grow anything more fancy than seedling raised H x hybridus in maroon shades and H foetidus. But I wouldn't be without them. As mistacott says what else is in bud out there right now (H foetidus is in full bloom)? They are tough as old boots, grow in dry shade and require no attention at all other than the removal of old leaves and the odd dollop of compost. |
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| Well, I did a bit of online searching and it looks like a few people in MN (zone 4) do grow these. As I suspected however, in these parts you can't expect flowers until March which doesn't surprise me. That's about the earliest you see crocus around here. Kevin |
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| None in my garden...not sure why. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 18:27
| mista .... stay at home dad.. right .... me frankly.. i lost interest in the kids [garden].. when the kids came along [real ones] ... not to mention the move from what is locally called MI peat type soil ... that will grow anything.. to mineral sand.. that grows trees and conifers.. and the bulletproof stuff ... i think i got a hella or two in a hosta trade.. and threw it in the hosta bed.. on irrigation.. 5 to 8 years ago.. frankly.. for all i know.. its still out there.. lol ... 5 acres just became too overwhelming.. for a pay attention-type perennial garden ... foo is foo .. and i aint messin with it .. annuals.. what reseeds is still around ... and brings me joy .. on some level because they are free.. lol .. the perennials you could leave on the driveway ... are still around ... daylily.. iris.. etc ... many conifers.. many trees.. many shrubs.. all the stuff you could run over with the truck ... [but for the truck rusting away.. lol] ... which is a euphemism for.. no care required ... there you go.. you are a hoot.. lol ken |
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- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 20:04
| These are so easy to grow and beautiful! They aren't sold in a lot of nurseries because so many people won't buy flowering plants without blooms on them. Since most nurseries close in the winter and these bloom then, that's probably why they don't tend to be sold at many locations. I am adding more doubles this year. They are planted in a shade garden at the college I attend and I look forward to seeing them every year when school starts back. |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 11, 13 at 4:25
| I have loamy clay pretty much and these grow very well here. I find them to be one of my easiest plants. Really don't have to do much except clean up the wintered over foliage in early spring. They take a long time to grow to blooming size if you start out with small seedlings. Three years maybe? I bought mine at a local garden club sale to start with and ignored the small seedlings for a few years. So exciting when they finally bloomed. Now I have a few doubles too. And I would rather let them drop seed where they are and make their own seedlings, which they have done in abundance. Very healthy, long blooming, attractive all year, and little attention needed. |
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| I have dry, sandy, nutrient poor soil, though I've built it up over the years. Hellebores do great for me, and are no extra work. |
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| No doubters who refer to these plants as hell-of-a-bores? ;) |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Fri, Jan 11, 13 at 10:42
| LMAO Eric!!!! I've never had one... |
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| Hellebores are very easy and very hardy. But while settling in after planting, the plants often seem to diminish at the beginning of their new life in the garden. However, that is only temporary because they are developing roots. They look their best when the weather is worst, which is a great boon to a gardener. They stand and flower even in the snow. The only time I've ever seen damage to a hellebore was this spring when an arborist dropped a massive tree on a flowering specimen. It still continued flowering, but looked lopsided and mangy for the rest of the season. Best of all, they reseed promiscuously, so there are always more to tuck into odd places. Plant them in spring and then leave them alone. Expect nothing for the first year or two. They generally double in size and number of flowers each year, so allow the plant time to become magnificent. New hybrids are much less expensive than in the recent past and usually flower the first year. I have never fed or even watered any of mine. I do not protect for winter. I can't think of anything easier to grow; hellebores are even easier than hosta. |
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| I had some cheap Pine Knot seedlings first which were nice, tried some more expensive (for the size) Sunshine strains which I wasn't impressed with, and am now waiting for a couple other ones to grow up and bloom. Last spring I bought some winter Jewels doubles and I'm anxious to see them flower. For me they take a couple years to settle in and don't appreciate drying out too much in the summer (and I really mean really dry, as in under the eaves of the house with no water for two months) I've had a couple 'hella-bores' with the usual great foliage, but boring flowers. If you're getting a bunch of mixed seedlings you might have to weed a couple out if they don't impress you. |
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| google images "O'byrne hellebores" if you're on the hella-bore wagon, they are the breeders for the winter jewel series, and I think the photos will change your mind.... or at least feed a spring fever. |
Here is a link that might be useful: O'byrne hellebores on google
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| I was checking out the hellebore patch today and found this surprise:
Note the fat buds poking up through the leaves. Should be flowers sometime in the next couple of weeks, depending on the weather. |
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| Eric That's very hopefully-looking and very cool. So what are your temps like right now and how cold has it been this winter? Kevin |
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| We hit 64F today, which melted almost all the snow remaining from our 14 inches or so in December (most of that fell in the latter part of the month, which was seasonably cold along with the first week of January). Our low so far for the season has been 10F. All the hellebore foliage looks good. Two of the plants are in bud. |
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| Mr.Campanula made a 70mile round trip to buy me a single pale yellow hellebore last year (OK, I know you americans consider 70miles a short jaunt but to us, it is almost an epic voyage). So yes, I love them and, right now, nestling with the ferns and the beginnings of chaenomeles buds, there is enough to keep me going through the dark dreariness of an english winter. |
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| "Hellebores are even easier than Hosta......" That statement is greeted by hollow laughter from me. Hostas are impossible in my garden. But the slugs only nibble the hellebore flowers, not the entire plant. My one and only 'easy' Hosta. Even in a 3 ft tall chimney pot the slugs and snails will find it. (Note happy H foetidus in the background)(Note also crushed eggshells making not bit of difference). |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Thu, Jan 17, 13 at 19:45
| LOL. It really is amazing what slugs can do isn't it?! A couple years ago around dusk I was in the basement. I look out the window and there is a slug oozing its way across the screen. Just about blew me over backward- "They can go vertical!!!!" I gasped mentally. Somehow I never guessed they could crawl up so far... CMK |
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| christinmk - they can climb as high as you like. So can snails. We sometimes see them on our upstairs windowsills - and we have four storeys. |
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- Posted by spartangardener z4 MN (My Page) on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 23:15
| I have a hellebore that's about 5 y old in the twin cities area. I don't do anything to it, and it seems to be thriving. Took a couple years to establish though. Seems to be hardy. |
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| I have H foetidus in bloom right now. And hundreds of seedlings of various sizes all around them and under the rhododendron nearby. I also have several H. Orientalis, all from the Sunshine series by Barry Glick. I have a dark purple, a burgundy, two white and a pink plus several more that haven't bloomed yet. I love them. The foliage stays pretty all winter unless buried by snow. |
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