Kim;

You plant them like most perennials, but feed them! They like to be fed often. I use ozmacote and keep them moist. It is very hard to kill these, so don't fret. They are very easy and usually beautiful. I have had no luck with parkseed though as they have sent the worst plants I have ever received! but I hope yours do better than mine did.

Good luck!!

Hi Kim,

Hellebores, particularly orientalis varieties and hybrids, produce very deep root systems relative to the size of the plant. They also enjoy feeding, as darrenprincess mentioned.

Here in middle TN, I usually amend the soil with sand and copious amounts of compost (In my woodland environment, I have a rocky clay base with humus top-layer from leaf decay). I do it very deeply (at least 12 in, but deeper is better) so that the roots will have plenty of room to expand in the future.

Most sources suggest a neutral to limy soil, particularly for H. niger (christmas rose). I treat mine all the same.

One other thing is to not plant the crowns too deeply. Covering the crowns with soil initially may invite rot in wet conditions and may inhibit blooming. You will then have room for future composting/mulching. In general, they are very easy and tough.

These are wonderful, long-lived plants, and now is a great time for planting. Enjoy.

Joseph

i planted my babies last autumn (not from seed, about a year old maybe).How soon before I see any flowering?

Hi catnip,

Usually, hellebores will bloom in the third year. You will likely not see flowering this time around, but the next Feb. or March (2005) expect to see some flowers if all goes well.
Some people see blooms the second year, but it is the exception. Growing conditions and climate also play a role.

Hi everybody!

Just wanted to bump this thread back up. I had posted back in 03 when I got my first Hellebores and just as jgwoodard said they are blooming like crazy right now. They were like clockwork, I'm amazed at how beautiful they are.

I'll try and post pictures later. :)
~Kim

Hi Kim. Exciting news!
Where do you live in Mid TN? Mine have been blooming since December but I've gone hellebore crazy since this original post and have many, many plants.
Look forward to seeing your pics.
joseph

Hi Joseph!

I'm near Nashville? Mine did start blooming back in the winter, but they are really going wild with blooms now. I'm so proud of them. I've only got 3 right now, two white ones and one pink. I'm running out of spots to put them in!

:)

This seems like a good place to post my question. I just got some decent sized Helebore seedlings from a trade. Now what do I do with them? Can I plant them out now? PA zone 6 or should I pot them up and wait until it is warmer?
Thanks, mgood4u

Hi Kim,

My garden is on the west edge of Davidson county. I've lived in Nashville much of my life (but currently in Seoul, Korea and missing my garden!). So we're we're sort of neighbors.... only thousands of miles away. :)

mgood4u, now is a perfect time to plant seedlings. If you know where you want them, you can plant them and sit back and relax. They are tough and in your climate, you will have to do virtually no maintenance. Enjoy!

Wow, Seoul, Korea sounds like a really interesting place to be! Are you there permanently or do you plan to come back to this area?

Joseph, you should make another prediction about the blooming time of these new hellebores that mgood4u mentions. I'm still amazed at how accurate the prediction was with mine. :)

Kim, Seoul is exciting, but it's not a permanent situation. I came here just to experience something different for a while. But it isn't the best place to be for a hellebore addict!
Of course mgood4u's seedlings will bloom in March 2007. :)
Or maybe not. It's unpredictable really. 1-4 years after germination is a fairly safe range though for most hellebores, especially hybrids.

so, how soon/about what month do they break the soil surface? i planted one last fall and still have not seen anything. do i assume it is dead?