they just keep coming and coming in my garden and I have never purchased any, only collected seedlings from customers gardens and I let them seed so each crown is surrounded by fresh seedlings. I will carefully ease a dozen or so out and grow them on in pots so give me guaranteed plants to go out next year .
Mine are just beginning to bud up EJ. The weather has been so bad throughout January (and still is) that everything is way behind here this year. So pleased to see your Hellebores - they are so, so pretty.
EJ I am very impressed with your Hellebore growing. I began growing them for the first time last year. I hope mine will reproduce too. Anything I should be doing to encourage this?
Don't dead head them and sow the seeds as soon as the pods open. Or just do as I do and let them fall around the plants. Dig up a few hundred and grow them on. Try and take the seedlings when they are small (only just got their true leaves stage). And I take a pot of water with me and drop the babies in it to keep the roots moist until they are potted up. If the roots dry out even for a very short time, they die. Best time for moving and splitting established plants is as the soil begins to cool down in autumn. They begin to make new roots at that time of year.
Thanks P. I'll check around my Hellebores after their bloom for these seedlings. They won't just grow in place? I have to pot them up?
They will of course grow where the seed fell, but they are often too close to the parent plant to really develop properly. It also does not really help the mother plant to be crowded out either.
Gorgeous! Every year I look at your Hellebores and tell myself that I MUST buy some for my garden. THIS is the year!
Those have some huge flowers! Last year I bought six plants, because everyone was ranting about them. Got them home, and started my research on them. I discovered they like to bloom when it is still winter. Said to myself; Self: You hate winter, why on earth would you buy plants that you will never go out to look at? I brought them back.
Sad, ours flower from now until May. the flowers are probably the longest lasting of any plant (except perhaps Helichrysum). Mind the flowers do hang down so you have to look at them properly. Except we have a self seeded yellow one where the flowers face upwards.
Chuckle, Llcenter! (It is 2 L's before center, right? I have been spelling it L-i- center). Anyway, your comment is pretty funny. I don't hate winter but, like most people, I do anticipate spring eagerly. For most people, growing plants that herald the spring while winter is still at the back door helps the mood.
Trust me, it would take a lot more than a couple of plants in the winter to wipe that scowl from my inner being during the cold months. To answer your question; It's upper case L, and I which is my location. I am geographically dead center on Long Island.
I do pot up seedlings, they seed readily. If it ever stops raining here in Essex, I will take some pictures.
EJ, I would appreciate that. I planted my Hellebores 2 seasons ago, the first season I guess they were too young to bloom...or maybe I planted them past their bloom time. I am hoping for flowers this year. I sm out of town now but plan to take a look as soon as I get home! BTW yours are truly lovely!
