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Hellebores blooming at midsummer

18 years ago

I bought six small Hellebore plants by mail order last September and planted them in compost in large containers. Despite adding plenty of fertiliser, I was very disappointed that they failed to bloom-until now in mid June! Is there any hope that they might flower again in winter?

I live on the west coast of Ireland and our summers are not very hot. Temperatures are around 16-20C at the moment. We had our mildest winter on record last year-could this have delayed their blooming?

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Comments (4)

morz8 - Washington Coast
18 years ago
Xarrah, I have young hellebores that bloom in summer too...I don't know if it's coincidental or not but this is also a cool summer, mild winter climate.

Several oriental hybrids began blooming for the first time in June last year; plants I had grown from seed with only a couple of weak fertilizer applications while they were still containerized - no additional fertilizer after planting in the ground.

More plants from that same group of seedlings bloomed in winter, more the timing I had expected.

I did notice when deadheading spent bloom stalks from the plants that bloomed in winter just a week ago (waited to harvest the seed and the seed is slow to mature here), that two of the plants I was deadheading are again sending up new flower stalks. Year round flowering? I suppose as long as they seem so healthy, they can bloom on their own timing :)
moliep
18 years ago
Xarrah, it did take my Hellebores several seasons to finally set flower... I live along the coastline of Connecticut and we do get bitter winters.

By the way... are there any good websites for gardening in Ireland? My daughter & her husband live in Dublin and are househunting there. I plan to do some gardening for her when I visit next February and April, but I'm not sure about plants for that part of Ireland. Any places where I could find info about gardening in E. Ireland would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Molie
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The above are both very good points. Hellebores are only shade tolerant.......not specifically shade lovers. I find they bloom best in at least half day sun. In hot summer climates, that would probably be morning sun and then with protection from hot afternoon sun. Or with lightly dappled all day shade. And they are very drought tolerant once established. They do tend to dwindle if in too much moisture. FWIW, Ivory Prince is known to have a very prolific and extended bloom period. That it has not produced flowers for several years is a strong indication that the cultural conditions are not to its liking.
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Greenmanplants
18 years ago
Re E Ireland.

Think Mild and wet, hardly any frost, lots of rain, not ever very hot.

Cheers Greenmanplants
Greenmanplants
18 years ago
I often get blooms on young plants right through the summer and autumn, usually pretty poor ones and not very indicative of what the plant is going to be like. Usually settle after their third full year as plants.

eg sown summer yr 2000
germinate Spring 2001
Plantlets Spring 2002
Small blooms Autumn 2002- Autumn 2003
Proper blooms Spring 2004

I'm sure transplanting can rock their clocks but again they usually settle down after a year. I grow out in nursery beds and only lift once I have seen them bloom, I often get a blind year after lifting.

Cheers Greenmanplants

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