Is this hellebore diseased?
gumneck 7A Virginia
4 years ago
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My first Hellebores
Comments (27)Rouge - thanks for steering me to this thread, all helpful & interesting information! And those were some nice looking gift-plants; how are they faring now, a month later? I've just discovered the Hellebores today, and have been enjoying learning about them in these forums all morning. I haven't tried tracking down a place to buy them in my area (central TX) yet, but hope I can find some when the shade garden I'm planning is ready for planting. Sooo, when IS the optimal time to put hellebores in the ground? And on a tangential note, reading about christinmk's off-season H. bloomers reminded me of my confused bougainvilleas -- I have five large ones of different colors, and a few of them kept blooming all last winter in our warm plant house. It was enjoyable and lovely at the time, but since I moved them back into the open sunshine this spring, they have barely put off a handful of blossoms each. Curious!...See MoreHellebores for newbies
Comments (1)You could take a look at the Pine Knot Farms website (www.pineknotfarms.com) and see photos of named hellebores. Any Helleborus x hybridus should be hardy for you, so it's really just a question of what you find beautiful. (Don't know why one of your 3 died. Do you know if it was H. x hybridus? If it was, lack of hardiness probably wasn't the problem.) There's an H. versicarius that isn't hardy in your (or my) zone. H. lividus too won't be hardy. And while I can grow H. argutifolius here in Zone 6, the flower buds aren't hardy (usually. I did get a few blooms this past Spring!). I don't think H. argutifolius would be at all hardy for you. Neither plant nor flowers. Take a look at Pine Knot. There are various colors and forms of Helleborus x hybridus and that's the plant that will probably be your best bet to start. Also try Helleborus niger --the Christmas rose, which blooms white. It's wonderful because it blooms at such an unlikely time of year. I think it would be hardy for you (but I'm not sure). I have only one H. niger and it started blooming before Christmas and lasted until early Spring --and I'm in Zone 6, New England. We have cold winters and NOTHING else ever blooms at that time for me. There are also species hellebores available. And new crosses. You might want to take a look at those. There are photos and there's hardiness info on the website. (And see the section: About hellebores for more info.) Anybody else have suggestions? (Or corrections if I'm wrong about anything?)...See MoreHellebores and Southern blight?
Comments (4)I would hope that someone pointed out the the growers the conditions necessary for the Southern Blight fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii, to survive. That is damp, acidic soil at temperatures above 85°F. Not the ideal cultural conditions for growing Helleborus, which prefer a drier, but moist, alkaline soil. The fungus will not survive in alkaline soil. Can be eliminated by soil sterilization, so they probably aren't using a sterilized soil mix. Can also be spread by contaminated tools. When present, the fungal growth is exacerbated by the use of high Nitrogen fertilizer, which I'm sure the growers use to accelerate the growth of their plants. I also would avoid purchasing from those growers and advise closely inspecting any plants purchased for a gray mold like substance around the stems at the soil level and soft tissue in the stems at the same level. I have grown Helleborus for more than 20 years and presently have hundreds of them. Not once have I experienced a problem with Southern Blight and don't know of anyone else, including nearby growers, that have either. Rb...See MoreMy hellebores have buds!
Comments (7)All of my H. foetidus (Stinking hellebore) are in full bloom, and I also have open blooms on some H. x hybridus (lenten Rose) plants. Many folks over here in eastern PA have H. niger (Christmas Rose) in bloom also, though mine are not blooming this season for some reason. All together, the season appears about 2 months early for us as regards hellebores. I have many H. foetidus and H. argutifolius seedlings already sprouted, although these generally jump up in late march, not january. George...See Moregumneck 7A Virginia
4 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)