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New England Gardening

Two new hellebores but...

7 years ago

Bought two new hellebores and one just withered away. The other one is just OK, but no buds at all. I bought it because it was supposed to be blooming about this time of year. They were quite expensive, and I'm disappointed. But I have gladioli that are still green, and these come back every year (I don't dig them out) since around 1980! Go figure.

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bill_ri_z6b
Original Author

7 years ago

One was called "Peppermint Ruffles", a really nice double, white background with burgundy veins and border. The other was not labeled but it was a single pinkish, with larger flowers. Both were planted in the fall of 2015, and both survived that winter and bloomed in spring of 2016. I expected that they would bloom a little later, since they were transplanted. But the Peppermint Ruffles started to do poorly in midsummer, and now it's just disappeared. The other one looks pretty good, but no buds so far. They are in decent soil where I have lots of other perennials thriving, and they are under a spruce for some snow protection, but not close to the trunk. They are also on a mound with other plants. I did that so that there wouldn't be any tree roots to compete.

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Comments (6)

Lalala (zone 6b)
7 years ago
Mine bloom starting in late February or March (depending on the weather). Be patient!
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years ago
Bill, I hope that yours are just getting used to their new setting and come back strong next growing season. Do you know the names?

I have an Ivory Prince that is blooming now. I chose it because it is supposed to hold its blooms upright, but it starts blooming in December and so is squashed by snow. I have no idea if the blooms are upright since the whole plant seems to always end up flat on the ground; the nursery didn't mention that it bloomed in winter rather than starting in March-April like most of my Helllebore hybrids. It has had blooms in December-January for two years now having been planted the fall of 2015. I guess I need to consider if I have a spot sheltered enough from snow to allow me to enjoy the blooms. Perhaps under the hemlocks?
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Hi green man! I have paid closer attention to the crown and it seems to do fine. However, the same cultivar right next to it, purchased at the same time looking very simmilar, albeit a little bit smaller, and planted on the same level, rotted! The pointy tip came right out and looked like a frost nipped artichoke... You know, brown frozen and mushy , several leaves surrounding the tip was also rotted at the bottom of the leaf, I assume that the whole plant is a goner? I cleared away some of the mulch so the sun gets to dry it up a bit. Do have any idea's as to saving this possibly dead plant? If it is slightly affected by crown rot, is there a chance that the roots are still ok? Should I dig it up without delay? I don't get it, we have not had so much rain and I certainly haven't watered it... Do you mean that the crown should be UNDER the soilline? Planted like a peonie? Besides, I gave them a wide birth of builders sand in the bed... all should have drained....??? Thanks, klk
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They're not agressive, but worth taking out when at the two leaf stage as they're easy to remove and you can grow them on in pots. Yes they can be muddy mongrels, but they can also display the best or better than their parents, very much depends on the mix of plants you have as parents, most growers rely on hand pollinated seed only, some have all plants of particular types together... I deadhead and remove the seed as otherwise I get thousands of seedlings. You'll get abundant seed from the couple of hand pollinated flowers to keep you busy, if you want to grow them from seed. Cheers Greenmanplants
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I'm wondering where you got seeds at this time of year? Most people swear by using only fresh seed, but many experienced hellebore growers say it is a matter of correct treatment and patience. As geoforce said, what triggers germintion of these seeds is a warm moist period followed by cold moist, which imitates the seeds maturing in summer and falling to ground to sprout the following spring. If the seed are dried out or were not properly stored before you got them, they may need two cycles before they germinate. The easiest thing is to pot them up and stick them outside and let mother nature take its course (making sure that the pot does not dry out or stay soggy). OR, you could keep them inside in a warm environment (in a plastic baggie with moist medium is convenient) for 8 weeks, then pop them into the fridge crisper for 8 weeks and see if they start to germinate. If not, start the cycle over again. If you are gung ho to try from seed, why not start visiting Elizabeth Town Hellebores in January and buy some of their fresh seed? Pine Knot Farm also offers seed in June. The very few times that I cruised through ebay looking at their seed I didn't see anything cheaper or more interesting, and ET and PK offer fresh seed only. Lots of people here have had good luck with these sources.
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Hi Lynn, For your climate, I would consider any Helleborus x hybridus to be easy, although most hellebores are quite easy and tough. If your not picky, just go somewhere nearby and see what they have. I think H. foetidus is easy and underappreciated too. In the middle of winter it is one of my favorites. Also, you are not extremely far from two places that are notable when it comes to hellebores: Sunshine Farm & Gardens in West Virginia and Pine Knot Farms near the Virginia-NC border. There are certainly many others as well. For example Windy Hill Plant Farm in Aldie, Va (maybe not far from you?) carries plants from a famous British breeder. I hope this helps. I'm sure you will be happy with any healthy plant you find. Joseph
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Bob Lem
7 years ago
Did they come back?
bill_ri_z6b
Original Author
7 years ago
Bob,

one came back, the other is gone. The one that's left has buds on it now. I'll post when it blooms.
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
7 years ago
I was out walking around the yard last week in the warm weather and see a lot of Hellebores poking out of the ground already. Too early! Last year they came up early and I lost most of the foliage and buds in a late cold snap. I already see buds that are almost about to open on one and I'm probably going to cover them up later in the week as they are forecasting teens overnight.

Bill, how large were the plants you put in? I've had problems with small Hellebore plants that didn't always survive and when they are small, they do seem to take forever to get to a good size and bloom.

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