I started out with literally 24x 2-3" tall single leafed hellebores from sunshine farm gardens last summer and I didn't expect many to pull through, but 90% came through and are up like champs. I watered them pretty well every few days last year when they were getting started and they did have a good mulch layer. They didn't make any new leaves until this year, and some even lost some; but this year pretty much everybody has come up with a vigor. What kind of sun do they get? I wouldn't remove any leaf that has any green on it for sure, they're nearly evergreen. I think spring establishment would be better, but sun/mulch/water last year would also play an impact. I wouldn't give up yet though, it's just started to get warm and mine really took a while to get going. It's been a dry spring, so maybe help them out with a little bit of extra water for now?

Sorry this doesn't help you much, but I just wanted to add that late summer/fall establishment isn't impossible. Barry Glick of Sunshine farms was very helpful when I got mine and I inferred that pretty much any time of the year was ok to start them (as long as it's physically possible).

http://www.sunfarm.com/

The hard winter should not have been the issue since I can grow generic hellebore hybrids 85 miles north of Boston, though it may depend on whether you got some that were less hardy types. Do you remember (or can you find) what kind you planted? Did you have a lot of freeze/thaw cycles? What is the soil like? Do you have voles or moles that might have tunneled under the roots leaving them exposed to air? (Press the soil around the plants to see if it collapses.) My various hellebores seem to grow better with half day sun and my soil is well-drained and has a fair amount of organic material in the beds. They have been planted as tiny plants in the spring and are now 3-8 years old.

Thanks for the replies! I agree it seems like the hardiness should not be an issue. The varieties are Red Racer (hardiness to either zone 4 or 5) and Pink Lady (to zone 3 or 4). We did not have a lot of freeze thaw cycles. It was pretty mild through the middle of January, then got very cold and tons of snow which wasn't gone until mid-April. Both areas I planted are in deciduous shade under trees (but fairly far from the trunk), so both are probably somewhat dry. We have had a dry spring, and I wonder if that's part of the problem, particularly for those that sent up a shoot and then withered. In the future I will leave the existing leaves on longer, at least until new leaves are up and growing. I'll give them all some supplemental water now (I've done so a few times already) and leave them a while longer to see if they do anything. Does that sound like a good plan? Any other tips? Thanks so much!

I'm not sure what happened to your hellebores, but I can give you my experience with them. I planted them where they would receive some morning sun, and afternoon shade,no mulch. I never removed any green leaves. As ocelaris said, they are nearly evergreen, and I'm sure those leaves are needed for the plants live and grow. `The only leaves I ever removed were old leaves that were dying or dead, usually around the bottom of the plant. Also, I think hellebores do better in a sheltered location where they don't bear the brunt of cold, winter winds. I think you should just leave your remaining ones alone, water them during dry spells, and see how they do. Hope this helps. Growing hellebores has been easy for me, and I certainly don't have a thumb that's totally green : )

Woodrose, thanks for your reply. Yes, I think you're right. I sometimes read the blog 'A way to garden', and she advises cutting off all the old foliage in the spring when new growth is emerging. But maybe this works better for (or at least doesn't harm) established plants than very small ones. Probably by removing the foliage (even though it was pretty beat up after the winter), I weakened the plants :(. Well, lesson learned. I will know better next time.